Love The Impossible Science
by Kimba LionHeart
Summary: Edward Elric joined a gang, giving up his life and innocence for his family. Roy Mustang is the Student Council President and must submit to the image placed upon him. If they want to be together, they will have to overcome the chains that bind them. -On Hiatus-
1. The Impossible Science

FanFic Title: Love-The Impossible Science **  
**Author: Kimba LionHeart  
**Pairing: Roy/Ed (There may be various straight/gay pairings later on)**  
**Genre: Romance/AU**  
**Rating:** M (for later chapters/over all story. For early chapters...I'd say PG-13)  
**Warnings: The usual warnings for this kind of stuff. Losta yaoi, angst, annoying female characters and evil villains may ensue. Overzealous use of the 'F' word. There will be smut later on in this story.  
Summary:** Edward Elric is a high ranking member of an up-and-coming gang. Roy Mustang is the pure-bred Student Council President. Unfortunately for poor Roy, Ed seems far more concerned with taking care of his brother than the raven-haired "bastard". Will Mustang's feelings go forever unrequited? Will Ed ever get his head out of his *bleep*? And how is Alphonse supposed to be close to his brother if the gang keeps pulling him away?

**Thank you to my beta, Mulle.**  
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Love-The Impossible Science

Covered in piercings and tattoos from head to toe, clad in black and chains, the resident Angel of Goth didn't care about other people. He simply swaggered to and from campus everyday without a word to anyone. Students watched out of the corners of their eyes as he passed and shuddered in revulsion.

His numerous studs and rings had earned him the nickname 'Fullmetal', a high ranking member of the State Alchemist gang. His eyes had earned him my desire, bordering on obsession.

I watched him get up from his usual spot and exit the cafeteria. I sighed. Watching Edward Elric leave the room was like watching all the color bleed out of my world. I rose from my own seat and moved to clear off my lunch tray, barley registering what was going on around me. I was far too busy with my own thoughts. Contemplating your chances of being with the one you wanted most did tend to distract a person.

I, Roy Mustang, had numerous things one could be proud of. A high ranking family, and good looks. Confidence. Style. Money. I was the most sought after senior at Amestris High. I was the President of the Student Council, head of the Students as Teachers committee, aide to the Government Professor, and had multiple scholarships. I also held the record of the most girls dated, and sequentially dumped of any man in the immediate area.

And I, Roy Mustang, had _no_ chance with Fullmetal.

I gave one more long suffering sigh before leaving for my next class, ten minutes before anyone else. As I went, I began to feel better. I think I may have even smiled.

I could feel the excitement beginning to take hold. The adrenalin pouring into my system was strong enough to temporarily push aside thoughts about the object of my affections. For I was headed to my favorite class of the day.

Chem. II- the only place in the building where you could light something on fire and not be looked at twice.

The second I opened the door, I was assaulted by the familiar, slightly sour smell of unused chemicals. After taking a second to adjust to the eye watering effect, I entered the room.

I always made sure to be obnoxiously early to the class so I could partake in my favorite pastime. Therefore, there was no one here to witness what I was about to do.

I set my bag down and fished out a piece of paper, then strode across the room to visit my old friend, Mr. Bunsen Burner.

I reached the lab table and sat down to indulge in my little hobby. Turning the valve, I savored the almost acidic smell that came forth as the flame lit. I took a moment to admire the flickering light of life in front of me. There was something oddly hypnotic about fire. About hearing the crackle of the little tendrils of flames snapping and dancing, trying to reach higher, burning to consume everything in sight. Just thinking about it made me shudder.

I remembered the paper in my hand, lifted it, and touched it to the flame without a second thought. I had long since perfected the art of pyromania, and I knew hesitation would anger the fire, causing it to lash out and bite you.

I lovingly watched the infectious virus of heat spread over the rapidly withering surface of the paper.

When it had been reduced to naught but ash, I closed the valve and gathered up my things, preparing for class to begin. I straightened my spine and once again dawned the mask of perfection that I was expected to wear.

~~~~~0x0~~~~~~

READ THIS FOR EXPLANATIONS ABOUT THE STORY SETTING:

Firstly, yes, I will be going into more detail about the alterations I have made to Ed's character (tattoos, piercings, etc.). The reason I haven't described much on either character is this: They aren't close enough to each other yet. You have to understand, that this story is in first person. In order to make the point of view realistic, I have to omit certain details that you would normally find in a third person story. You don't look down at yourself and describe, in detail exactly what you look like everyday, do you? Sure, you might look in the mirror, but, unless it is a very special occasion, most of us (especially guys) don't pay that close of attention to the way the color of our blue jeans match our lover's eyes. The two main characters are NOT romantically involved in any way at this point in the story. Ed hates Roy, and sure as hell doesn't analyze the exact angle that Roy's bangs fall. And Roy is a.) most of the time too far away to see any of the details of Ed's tattoos and b.)he is a bit too obsessed with Ed's face and crotch to be paying close attention to anywhere else yet.

Ok. Second, the school is weird. That is because I based it off of the anime characters and their surroundings (i.e., The anime's military and it's members). In order to keep the characters as close as possible to the originals (which I really try hard to do) in an AU story, you have to put them in an environment that is similar. Otherwise, it would be really fucking stupid for Havoc to be calling Roy 'sir'. That just doesn't happen in normal public schools. So, the school is odd and militaristic.

Lastly, there will be smut later on. But, you must be patient. Just because they might smile at each other in one chapter does not mean they will hop into bed in the next one. This is two imaginary characters put into real life. This is how people's relationships progress in the real world. Just because they are both guys, does not mean that they fuck everything in sight. For those of you have actually met a homosexual, you know I'm right. Not to rag on other stories, mind you. There are some great multi-chaps where Ed and Roy hit it off right away. These may be written well, but they are still unrealistic. Again, I try to stay somewhat down to earth and stick to the anime character's true personalities. The original model of Edward Elric is not a slut. The original model of Roy Mustang is a womanizer, not a serious relationship kind of guy. In short, you will have to wait a while for the steamy scenes. Have heart, for they will get here in due time.

Also, my chapters tend to be fairly short...but they get longer as the story goes on, and there will be several before all is said and done, so please bear with me.


	2. The NonConformist

Haha, I love you guys. It got a pretty good response for only being up one day...so here you go, the next one already. Betaed and everything. (I will be honest, this has been typed up for a while.) This is an intro to Ed's POV and it is VERY short...which makes sense, considering the only thing Ed really ever thinks about is Al. XD

To my very first reviewers:

Trumpet-Geek— I am looking forward to it too!

freakgirlXD-- Thank you sooooooo much!

HookedOnAvatar011—Thanks. Honestly, I don't have a clear cut plan for this yet, so I am looking forward to seeing where it goes too.

Hyou-kun—Thanks! Don't worry, Roy and Mr. Bunsen Burner have a very long-standing history and will be sure to have more encounters in the future.

* * *

The Non-Conformist

"He's doing it _again_." I grumbled.

I slouched further down in my seat and rolled my eyes. I was in the lunch room, where I had been a zillion times before, with the same overly bright lights above me, same crappy green tile below, yet I was highly uncomfortable.

This was the third time this week that I'd caught that bastard, Mustang, staring at me.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Ed." said Noa from beside me. "He just has his panties in a bunch 'cause you don't conform to his snobbish bitch-prep agenda."

I chuckled a little at that. Bitch-prep huh? Not a bad description…

The two of us sat alone in the corner at the usual table. We had never really told people to stay away from us, but it always worked out that way. Being the only State Alchemist, or "S.A." members at this school, meant people avoided us like the plague. Not that we minded. The less idiocy we had to deal with, the better.

I turned my head and, out of habit, began scanning the crowd. I finally found the head of sandy-blonde hair that I was looking for across the room.

Alphonse. Man, I loved that kid.

He must have felt me watching him, because he looked up at me. He flashed that little secret smile that always turned my heart to mush, and then turned back to his food and friends.

Grinning like an idiot, I got back to my own food, virtually inhaling my mac'n'cheese.

Noa must have noticed our silent exchange, because she spoke up, "You really love that boy, don't you?"

I glanced at her and mumbled, somewhat embarrassed, over a mouthful of food, "Yeah, I do."

"You know, Ed. You could always invite him to sit with us…"

"No!" I snapped, perhaps just a little too loudly.

Noa looked entirely unconvinced. Might have been because shouting while there is half-chewed food in your mouth isn't very persuasive.

I swallowed and averted my eyes. "Look." I sighed. "I don't want to ruin his image. I have already done enough damage in his life. He's a freshman in high school now and finally has the chance to start anew. I am not about to mess that up by forcing him to hang out with me."

Instead of responding she just looked at me for a long time. Then, she shook her head and turned away, leaving me to my own thoughts.

I could deal with prejudice and corrupt "bitch-prep" student council hags. Just as long as Al was okay. That was all that mattered.  
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	3. Annoying Interruptions

Hey yall! Next chapter up. This one is where the mature content comes in, so if you don't like sexual situations, don't read this. This chapter isn't really integral to the story, so if you don't want to read the smut, you can just skip this one.

To my reviewers:

Hyou-kun: Yeah, I like to make up interesting describing words for the characters.

hikari-ryu7: I am glad that you are enjoying this.

Everyone, please, please, please, if you enjoy this story, take five seconds and leave a review. That is what keeps me connected to what you think, what you want to see and what I can do better on. It's the driving force behind my writing, so please tell me what you think! Thank you!

* * *

Annoying Interruptions

Today was just not my day.

The second I got home, my mother bombarded me with inane questions about school and work. I groaned. I SO did not want to talk about it.

Not only had Boss Bradley made me drag my sorry carcass through the rain to make an emergency delivery, he had made me do it five minutes before my shift ended. Needless to say, I was extremely late getting home.

I ignored the incessant babbling of my mother and headed up to my room, the only place in the house where I could just be myself.

I had crap-tons of homework to do and fundraiser forms to fill out for the next Stuco. meeting. So, naturally, I flung my bag across the room, not caring where it landed, and flopped down on my bed. Not even the softness of my new Sleep-comfort mattress could comfort me.

Nothing could chase away the image of my blonde beauty.

I cringed, remembering the pain of walking around with a hard-on all day, thanks to none other than Edward Elric.

He had taken my breath away when he had walked into the cafeteria. The multiple platinum earrings looped through his upper ears gleamed brilliantly in the artificial light. The diamond studs in his lobes flashed like ice illuminated. One flawless brow was cocked, bringing its own stud up with it. His hair, reminiscent of a wheat field at dawn, was pulled back into its signature braid. The ink tattoos that covered his body were near hypnotic, their myriad of colors and patterns turning him into a canvas of swirling chaos.

He wore a tight M.C.R. T-shirt that seemed to hug every muscle on his well defined body. His black stone-wash jeans clung to his hips, tight in all the right places. From his belt loop hung the silver watch chain that marked all S.A. members. I could hear the thud of heavy combat boots as he strode across the floor.

But what really drew me in were his eyes. They glowed like lamplights, bearing his spirit and strength for the entire world to see. They were like molten gold, their heat searing my soul, causing my heart to race.

I groaned and rolled onto my back, my thoughts once again awakening my arousal.  
Would my near eternal boner ever leave me alone? Probably not. I had to take care of it if I was to get anything done tonight.

I slowly snaked my hand down my body, letting my finger tips brush against my clothes every so often. My breathing quickened, my cheeks grew hot in anticipation of what was to come.

I laid my palm upon the center of my body, enjoying the pressure I felt from the act. I lightly ground the heel of my hand against the rough fabric of my pants, feeling my erection strain against my zipper.

I thumbed the zipper pull, tormenting myself with the wait. I began to unfasten my pants, popping open the button, loving hearing the high trill of my fly opening. I grew impatient with my self-inflicted torture, yanking down my pants, my boxers soon following.

Damn. Just thinking about those eyes -Fullmetal's eyes- got me so fucking hard.  
My cock stood proudly, displaying a slightly pink flush that seemed to have consumed my body. I swiveled my middle finger around the tip, fingering the small opening there.

I sighed in contentment and leaned my head against my pillow, riding the waves of pleasure. Slowly, my eyes slipped shut.

_Fullmetal was there, looking me over hungrily. He slid his hands up the inside of my thighs, leaving a hot tingly sensation in his wake._

I gasped, letting my fantasy spur me on as I moved to slowly start pumping along my throbbing length.

_He looked up at me, those golden orbs slicing into me. A Cheshire Cat-like grin split his features._

_"Need some help with that, baby?"_

I growled at the imagined pet name and began to stroke faster.

_Ed licked his lips and moved his face in close. He blew a warm breath onto my pulsating organ, causing me to gasp and shiver. He gave an almost chaste kiss to the head, its tiny slit already leaking pre-cum._

_Fullmetal moved down to nip at the base, giving me a good view of his numerous earrings. He moved back up, slowly sliding his tongue over the underside of my penis along the way. My moan turned into a cry of surprise when I felt a wet heat engulf me._

_I cracked open an eyelid to see Edward sucking on the tip, spasms of pleasure working their way through my body. My breath hitched in my chest as I watched him bring his head towards me, slowly taking in inch by inch of my length. He was actually able to get the whole thing in his mouth without gagging. I wasn't exactly small…_

I moaned, going at it even faster. I was on the brink. I could almost taste my release…_so close_…

"Roy!"

My eyes flew open at the sound of my mother's voice floating up from downstairs.

"Come down for dinner!"

Shit.

Today was just not my day.  
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	4. Disconcerting Dialouge

Alright! Things begin to get a bit more in-depth as we learn a little about Ed's life. As always, thank you for reading and PLEASE review!

To My Reviewers:

nightling- Haha, I am happy that you 'enjoyed' the last chapter. There is actually a lot of back story that I have to go into, so you may have to wait awhile for some one-on-one between our boys, but, I am making up for it by giving you some juicy tidbits. So, don't worry!

shrimp_alchemist- I am glad you are liking this. Roy and Ed will start down their path soon enough.

wishfulliving89- I can't wait either! ^_^

Paon- I will describe his tattoos in more detail, but I am planning on doing that once Roy and Ed get together, since Ed doesn't think about it and Roy currently isn't close enough to Ed to give him a good once over. ;)

YamiTenshiKoi- Don't worry, this will continue! I currently have 8 chapters written and betaed, it is just a matter of getting them up.

* * *

Disconcerting Dialouge

I walked into the usual chaos. Russel and his kid brother Fletcher Tringham were playing a game of marbles…which really meant that they were spilling shit all over the place and letting the annoying little playing pieces roll all over the floor.

Noa seemed to have forgotten that I was kind enough to walk her here, and without so much as a 'thank you', rushed past me to break up the marble escapade.

Yep. Coming to headquarters was always a hectic experience.

Headquarters was really just a fixer-upper warehouse, but, to the State Alchemists it was home. The flickering fluorescents buzzed in greeting as I walked further into the building.

From somewhere in the back there came a squeal, and little Nina emerged (followed by that hell spawn she called a dog) and flung herself into my arms.

"Nina, how many times do I have to tell you to keep the mutt outside? Shouldn't he be making himself useful by being a guard dog or something?"

_'And not pouncing on me.'_ I added silently.

The wiggling mass of little girl that was trying to crawl up my torso looked up at me with big, adorable eyes.

"Aww, come on, Big Browther. Alexadwer gets lonely all by hisself. "

With an eye-roll and an exasperated sigh, I set her down, urging her to go play with Fletcher. I threw my stuff down, not really caring about the contents of my tattered ACDC bag. I had already finished my homework in class anyway. That crap was just too easy.

Greed walked by, smoking a cigarette and talking to someone on his cell. I growled. I really hated that guy. Couldn't he do that outside? I mean, we WERE in a gang, so that kind of thing was normal (and I certainly wasn't completely innocent of it), but couldn't he muster up enough human decency to not smoke indoors?

Greed's worshiping peons shadowed him. Like the guy really needed it. Dorochet followed him like a lost puppy. That little viper, Marta slinked past, giving me a glare as she did so. At least Loa was nice enough to nod. The formality was lost on me though. Hard to pay attention to that kind of thing when the guy was as big as a frickin' ox.

Noa walked back over to me. I was about to speak when she jerked her head towards the back corner, where there were some boxes stacked up. I gave her a questioning look and she just repeated the motion, this time with more vigor. I shrugged and walked over there.

As I got closer, I began to make out a human shaped shadow sitting behind some crates. I sucked in a breath. I knew who it was. The tall build, slightly wide shoulders hunched over, head bent down over a book gave him away before I even saw his face.

I steeled my nerves and marched up behind Alphonse. I cleared my throat and glared down at him. He stiffened and turned around slowly, guiltily.

"Listen Brother, I-"

I cut him off. "Al. I thought I'd told you not to come here. _Go home_."

I saw him flinch. Then he shot up on his feet, nostrils flaring. Instead of his usual docile reply, he snarled at me furiously.

"No!" he shouted. "Why do you keep pushing me away? I want to be a part of your life, but you always toss me aside! Who are you to say where I can or can't be, anyway!?"

I was…shocked. His outburst had been so unlike him. The whole room had gone still instantly, waiting for my reply. The tension was palpable.

"Alphonse," I began, barely whispering. "We have talked about this. Only one of us has to sleep on this bed of nails. Only one of us needs to be chained up like a dog. I don't want you to get involved in this."

He blanched, his eyes flashing with a powerful emotion that I couldn't quite put a name to.

"I know, Ed." He said just as quietly. "I know. But we also said that we're all we have. I thought the gang wouldn't change that. But, I guess I was wrong."

He walked past me, gathered his things and stomped out of Headquarters without another word.

I groaned internally. He just didn't understand. Sure, S.A. wasn't exactly like other gangs. Our leader, Greed, was the second oldest out of all of us, at only 22. Loa was barely 24. Greed gave us more freedom than most gang leaders would, so we followed his orders without much complaint. Not that we had much of a choice.

While we did bear the image of the typical gang, we were basically just a collection of misfits, banding together to survive. Greed was…greedy. He was totally in it for the material benefits. But he had some kind of weird code that made him bearable sometimes. Marta, Loa, and Dorochet (I called them the 'Chimera Triplets') were loyal to Greed because he had busted them out of jail for their talents. I had once asked Dorochet why they continue to follow him, even though Greed was just using them because they could fight. He had just given me some vauge answer about Life, Loyalty, and Paying your Debts. Go figure.

The Tringham brothers had no parents. But their dad had taught them a lot about plant life before he died. Turned out that both of them, especially Russell, had a really knack for dealing with natural substances. Substances that could be manipulated to be created into illegal substances. So, in exchange for Russell's services, Greed gave them a place to sleep and was putting them through school.

While Noa was highly intuitive and strong willed, she really didn't have any qualities that would label her as good material for a gang. While she did work for Greed, I had no idea what she did. I tried my damnedest not to think about why Greed would have a use for a useless, yet very pretty girl, in his schemes for profit.

And Nina -little Nina- had nowhere to go. That asshat that called himself her father was locked up in an asylum somewhere and no one knew where her mom was. Noa had found her on the street one day and brought Nina and her dog to Headquarters, putting her in Fletcher's room. No one had ever said anything about it and accepted the girl into our group, protecting her and shielding her from the darkness of Gangland.

And me? I was only tied down like this because of Al. I had to have enough money to pay rent and put him and myself through school. Being in a gang was the only way someone my age could make enough money and have enough protection to survive on their own.  
We were different. But it was still bad. Violence, drugs, and sex were normal occurrences here. And I refused to taint Al's good heart with all of that.

Returning to the present, I glanced up as Greed called everyone to attention. He began to give out tonight's assignments to each individual.

"Ed." He called out to me. "You'll be working with Russell on the corner of 5th and Manor Rd."

I grimaced. Time to get to work.  
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	5. Power Play

Hey y'all. A little bit of post-holiday ficage for you. A lot of people asked about Ed's job...funny how much attention that gets. I guess you will just have to wait and find out. ^_^ This chapter delves into a new 'arc', so to speak, taking us into the past of our two heroes.

To My Reviewers:

wishfulliving89: Thanks!

YamiTenshiKoi: I am glad you like this. Hmm….I wonder…;P

freakgirlXD: I am soooo happy that you are liking this so much!

Paon: Hehe. Don't worry, I won't permanently damage little Eddykins…at least not too much. ^_^

As always, thanks for reading and reviews with your thoughts on the chapter and how to improve are always appreciated!

* * *

Power Play

I shook my head and walked out of the gym. Good Lord, I despise crowds.

The Student Council was holding a fundraiser today for some charity or another. Being the president, I had to go up on stage, in front of the ENTIRE student body, paste a smile on my face and pretend like I cared. Not that things like that are usually a problem. I am pretty good at hiding my emotions and stifling the urge to bolt from a room with more than 10 people. In fact, I can usually force myself to be somewhat sociable.

Today was an exception.

I had walked on stage fully prepared and confident, only to find that some moron had put the stage lights at just the right angle to light up a certain head of golden blonde hair in the second row on the right.

Naturally, the words I was going to say flew from my mind at the sight of the 'Fullmetal Alchemist'. He and his mocha-skinned pal just had to pick TODAY to play nice and not skip the assembly.

He obviously knew I was gawking at him, and he raised a brow as if challenging me to come and speak my thoughts to his face. God, how I had wanted to just hop off the stage and hold him…or piss in my pants from nervousness.

After about a minute of the awkward, sweat inducing staring contest, Hawkeye had hissed "What are you doing?" from somewhere backstage.

That had acted as a mental slap and allowed me to get on with my speech about the virtues of That-Dead-guy, Whatshisface and his money-grubbing 'charity' with their well- meaning cause…as far as I could see, the only cause I could truthfully relate them to was, 'Taking From the Poor and Giving to the Morally Bankrupt Since 1843'.

Well, at least it was over.

Hawkeye caught up to me in the hallway and looked me over with some concern.

"Are you alright, sir?" she asked under her breath.

I glanced over at her. Her hair was in its usual up-do, her clothing impeccable as always.

"I'm fine Hawkeye. Never been better." I started down the hallway again.

She persistently followed after me, her determined gaze never wavering. "Sir, back there on the stage…what was that? It was so unlike you."

"Just a hiccup. A bit of nerves can get to the best of us from time to time."

"But, Sir-"

"I think," I interrupted, growing tired of this conversation, "That I am going to go freshen up. Don't wait up for me." I hurried into the nearest men's room, not giving her a chance to reply.

I shut the door behind me and let loose a heavy sigh. I had really been off my game lately thanks to-

Ed.

Right in front of me. HOLY CRAP.

This was both my wildest dream and most hated nightmare. I was frozen in place, just staring at him washing his hands at the sink farthest from me. He was scrubbing furiously at his arms, going at those lovely tattoos with a vengeance. Apparently he hadn't noticed me.

Ok, Mustang, time to get with the game. Options?

1. Jump his bones.  
2. Make a snide comment about why he was in here and not in the commons with everyone else (But no, he'd just turn it around on me)  
3. Grovel at his feet and confess my undying adoration.  
4. Jump his bones.  
5. Back out slowly, and quietly, and just get the hell out of there.

My feet seemed to decide that the last option was the best one, and they started shuffling backward and turning me so I could exit through the door. My hands however, had been taking a nap and they weren't really accustomed to waking up so fast and in their morning stupor, fumbled with the door, efficiently screwing up that whole 'quiet' thing.

I froze. I could just feel the tension coming from the other side of the room. I took a deep breath and did the only thing a proud man could do-I turned around ready to throw my hands up and scream for help should he decide that the intruder must be punished.

When I looked back at him, it was like my vision had suddenly switched over to 'zoom', taking in every little detail. The water was still running, gliding over those masculine hands, leaving them glistening in the florescent light. His muscles were tensing making those swirls of ink-color pulse and ripple. His chest was heaving, his nostrils flaring with every exhaled breath. His spine had gone ramrod straight, causing his Tripp pants to hang just a little bit lower on his hips. His hair was somewhat mussed, the normally tame locks falling at odd angles.

Finally, I knew there was nowhere else for me to look and I let my eyes slide to his face. His mouth was a hard line, lips tilting downward into a grimace. A slight flush rested upon those high cheek bones.

Of course then, there were his eyes. Spinning faster, faster, a rush of golden amber emotion. A flurry of nameless feelings flung out so quick, they were almost tangible, then drawn back in again to be replaced with another. Each one flashed through those soulful mirrors faster than I could read them. Gold-gilded chaos.

They were just like back then…

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 year ago ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was it. My first year on the student council. Of course, as a junior, I couldn't have a REAL position. Right now, I was just a peon. But, if a peon performs well enough as a junior, he can take flight through the ranks as a senior.

I walked through the double doors to the office where Stuco. meetings were held. It had been a couple weeks since the beginning of school and I already had some ideas on how to improve the place, but I would hold my tongue for now. Wait a few meetings, let the upperclassmen get comfortable with their new positions, and then begin to introduce the changes I had in mind. Slow and steady. Aim for winning the long-term race.

When I took my seat at the enormously long table, I saw Hughes a few seats away and nodded. He winked back. Havoc and Breda looked up from their argument of who was the hottest person on the Council and gave me two thumbs up. Fuery and Falman acknowledged my presence with two simultaneous nods, one like a waggling puppy, the other so stiff that I wondered how he didn't break his neck doing it. Hawkeye walked to the chair next to me and took a seat, her eyes meeting mine as she did so.

I smiled inwardly. These were my men. My brothers (and sister) in arms. More importantly, they were my friends. We had already made the decision last year to all run for the Student Council. It was Hughes who had rounded up my entire inner circle and introduced the idea that together we could reform the school, with me at the forefront. They had all agreed to stay beneath me and boost me up to gain the power I needed to take the school into a better tomorrow.

The meeting was relatively short, introducing new members and laying down the rules and basic game-plan for the year. After it had let out, the seven of us hung out on the front steps for a few minutes.

"Alright, we all made it!" Breda chortled. Havoc grinned, tilting up that poor toothpick he had been chewing on for the past hour.

"I bet you're already scheming about your takeover, right, sir?"

I allowed myself to smile at that. I loved being called 'sir'.

"Right you are, Havoc. But, I won't make my move just yet. We have to wait for the right opportunity to come along, and then strike."

"Speaking of striking," Hughes put in, "I heard that there is an interestingly dangerous freshman here this year."

I raised an eyebrow at that. While somewhat amusing, freshman rarely had enough power to be dangerous. They couldn't even drive.

"This particular freshman," he continued, completely ignoring my doubting look," happens to be in the up and coming S.A. street gang."

"Yes, I've heard about that. Supposedly, he holds quite a bit of power within the gang, but that could just be because it is relatively small." Fuery piped in, happy to be able to contribute to the conversation.

"Ah. He is a bit of a hot topic in the freshman and sophomore gym classes that I help out with…Elric, I believe his name was." Falman inserted stiffly.

"Edward Elric. So far, all that's known about him is that he is in a gang…I haven't heard of him showing signs of disruptive behavior yet." Hawkeye finished off.

Well, well. Now this was interesting…this wasn't really a gang oriented area. A little rat that young being in an inner city gang was very unusual…

"Ok." I said, drawing their attention. "So long as he doesn't cause any trouble, then we don't need to worry about him. However, I want him watched. If he begins to be…disruptive, and we are the first to discover him…"

"Then we can turn him over for the appropriate punishment and earn major brownie points." Hughes finished for me.

Yes. This little freshie could prove very useful in our power games.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	6. Start of Something Dangerous

Yay! More Bathroom Flashbacks!!!! Wooo! Hey, I love you guys for giving me so much support!

To My Reviewers:

YamiTenshiKoi- Haha, I totally love that you comment on almost every chapter. It's always nice to know that I have a dedicated reader! *Huggles*

wishfulliving89- I'll do my best to get the next one up soon!

FullmetalHanyou15- I know that you actually commented on Ch. 1, but I am always happy to hear from someone new. So, I decided to include you here to! Thank you so much for providing some of that 'writer's inspiration'!

Thank you for reading and please, please, please comment!

* * *

Start Of Something Dangerous

What the FUCK was that asshole doing here!?

That jackhole had gotten up onstage, had the nerve to gawk at me, and now had the audacity to waltz in here and BREATHE THE SAME AIR I'M BREATHING!?

No!

'I hate him!'

_No you don't._

'He deserves to wither up and die!'

_You don't want that._

'But Mustang has been staring at me!'

_Does that really matter?_

'But…he humiliated me…'

_He saved you. You were able to get Al out of his hellhole and into high school without much fuss because of that._

Thinking back on that…it seemed so long ago…But really, where would Edward Elric be without Roy Mustang's interference?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 year ago ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was it. High school. I could finally branch out and be who I wanted to be. Greed had no use for an introverted middle school kid…but he said if I went through his proposed image change over the summer, he'd take me. So, here I was! I could finally start taking proper care of Al.

He had set it up for me to go to this school…Amestris High. He wanted Noa, who was a year older than me, to look after me while I was here. I was glad he wasn't forcing too much on me…I wasn't supposed to be a drug dealer or anything…thank God.

I got out of Loa's car, thanked him for driving me here on my first day, and set off towards the front steps.

HOLY COW.

There were tons of people here! They swarmed to and fro, flashes of color and the roar of uninhibited sound. How the heck was I supposed to find Noa in this mess?

I flung myself into the throng trying to be a small as possible. After getting jostled by everyone I passed, I spotted Noa at the top of the steps, waiting for me. I bounded up there, eager to be with my mentor. She raised her eyebrows at me when I came up to her.

"Hi, Noa! How are you? What are we going to do today? Oh, and when are you going to start teaching me things, because I really want to get started, the more I know, the better, 'cause I can take care of Al better that way-but wait! We aren't in the same grade, so we won't have classes together. Will I be seeing you at lunch? Where can I find you? Or do you want to wait until after school because I can't stay out too late because-"

"EDWARD." She cut me off. "Chill out. Breathe."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm sorry. I guess I am just excited. I mean…this is what I worked so hard for." I apologized.

"That's fine Edward…but you can't be so obvious. Or loud. You have an image to uphold. Scowl some more." She said without much inflection.

"O-Oh. Right." I tried my best to frown, and turn down my eyebrows. I wrinkled my nose and forehead and I stuck out my bottom lip. Not too bad, I thought.

Noa looked very much like she was trying not to laugh.

"What? I am happy right now, it's hard to make a frowny face when I'm happy."

"…Right. Well. I suggest you work on your 'frowny face', after all…you just became the most infamous freshman at this school." She stated.

"Huh?"

"Edward. This is an upper class conservative school. I am here to try and spread our clientele. You are here to learn from me. I can't afford to stick out, but Greed's make-over for you…" She dragged her hand in a broad sweep through the air and ended it with her arm outstretched toward the front lawn. I followed the movement with my eyes.

Almost every single person in was either pointing or looking to the top of the stairs. At my black, baggy clothes. At the new tattoos on my still tender arms. At the piercings in my ears. At me.

My eyes went wide, and I felt my cheeks heat up. I quickly turned away from their speculation. I knew I looked like a freak here. I would look like a freak back home too. Heck, I even scared myself looking in the mirror sometimes.

I understood why Greed had demanded this now. To make his mark. To brand me as his. For me to be his centerpiece, the one that attracts all the attention. The poster-child of the State Alchemists.

"…makes you the most conspicuous person here, in this sea of turtlenecks, and sports jackets. " Noa finished. Her words sounded like the weight of all those stares made final.

~X~

I marched down the hall and out the front doors, ignoring the usual stares and sending a hard glare to anyone brave enough to make a comment about my gang affiliation or appearance.

Needless to say, I'd gotten pretty good at this scowling thing.

It had been a little over a month since the beginning of school. I still wasn't completely comfortable with being Greed's crowning glory, but I knew I didn't have a choice. Being the star of the show gave me privileges I couldn't do without.

Like being able to choose in what area I worked. Noa had shown me the basics of the inner workings of Gangland. Like any wise tutor, she had started with the worst of it. To harden me to the harshness of our world. I had thrown up the first night she took me out for lessons on the street. I wanted nothing to do with that.

I crossed the lawn and got into the car that was always here for me. Greed made sure that there was always a more experienced member around to protect his 'little blonde gem'. Man, if he wasn't our leader, I'd strangle him for calling me short.

I slammed the door shut and crossed my arms. Dorochet looked over at me from the driver's seat.

"High school still not doing it for you, huh kid?" he asked as we pulled away.

"No duh it's not 'doing it for me.'" I growled. "Why does Greed insist on doing this to me!? I agreed to uphold this image for a top spot. I had to for Al. I didn't agree to public humiliation!"

"Comes with the territory, kid. You'll just have to learn to ignore it." We got onto the already familiar route towards Headquarters.

"Yeah, but why?"

"Why?" he said somewhat incredulously "Because you are a prime candidate, that's why." At my disbelieving look he continued. "You are absolutely brilliant, extraordinarily driven, unafraid to get your hands dirty, tough as nails, and…you are what could be called 'extremely attractive.'"

My eyes went wide at that. That was a great compliment, although I didn't know that I liked it in that context, but…

"'Extremely attractive'!? Where the heck did you get that from?"

He just stared at me like I had three eyes, then said, "Have you ever looked in a mirror?"

I blushed hard and tried to scoot down further in my seat.

Dorochet sighed. "Look, kid. I don't swing that way, never have, never will. But you'd have to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to see that you go above and beyond 'average' in the looks category."

I gave an embarrassed grunt and looked out the window in silence, for the rest of the drive.

~X~

Finally, Noa wanted me to start working with her. Enough lessons, and on to actually doing something. After three months, I was ready to start earning my keep.

"Ok. There are a few students in my grade that have shown interest. Normally, we wouldn't bother going out of our way, but most people at this school have plenty of money to spend." Noa whispered.

I nodded, knowing this already. That was why we were here. Get the rich kids to start spending.

"Since dealing on campus is way too risky, our job is just to refer them to Russel. They have agreed to meet us during lunch, by the stairs to the science hallway. All we need to do is crush any qualms they may have about making a transaction and give them this." She held up a folded piece of paper.

"This," Noa continued "tells them to meet up with Russel at his nearest safe spot tonight. We also have to be sure that this is kept secret. This isn't some inner city school, where the teachers just don't care. We can't get more buyers by spreading the word, or we will be discovered and snuffed out."

Right. So muscle them into keeping quiet. We can round up more customers on our own.

I took out my pocket watch and glanced at the time.

"Ok. It's about time to move out." I said.

We had started to walk through the halls, towards our destination when a thought came to me.

"But, Noa… What about people staring?" I asked, worried that I could cause us to be discovered.

Noa smiled. "Oh, Edward, haven't you learned anything from me? Yes people may stare a bit...but your novelty has worn off. You are no longer a big deal, just a blemish in the landscape as far as the other students are concerned. That's why we have waited so long for this. So, rather than draw attention to us, your loud clothing will provide cover. People only look at you long enough to avoid you. We won't get any unwanted interruptions this way."

I contemplated this for a while, and then just shrugged away my worries. Noa's theory seemed sound enough.

We had arrived, so we circled round to the far side of the stairs, near the wall, so we weren't standing out in the open. After waiting a few minutes, two girls came around the corner and headed towards us.

I didn't really know how to feel about introducing drugs to girls, but, then again, they made the choice to come here by themselves.

One girl looked slightly mousy and timid. The other was tall, pretty and had a confident stride. She looked like she was out to have some fun. The shorter of the two looked like she had been peer pressured into this.

They didn't really look like they would be into hard drugs, but as a bookish small-town kid, I hadn't seemed like I would be in a gang before my new look, so who was I to judge?

"Hey, Jessie, Kayla." Noa said, with a nod to each.

"Uh huh. Let's just hurry and get this over with…the less time we spend here, the better." said the tall girl, who I now identified as Kayla.

"A-are you sure we should be doing this? I mean, we could get caught…" Jessie interjected quietly.

Noa leaped at the chance to reassure the girl. "Don't worry. No words are going to be exchanged here…nor is the meeting going to be on campus. We work hard to be totally confidential."

Jessie seemed slightly relieved at that, but still looked like she would rather be anywhere else.

Noa reached into her pocket and took out the piece of paper with Russel's info on it.

"Open this and read it, only after you have gotten out of school…and please keep quiet about this. If we get caught, then YOU will be guilty by association." Noa finished, and offered up the paper.

Kayla swallowed hard, looking a bit nervous for the first time. She reached out to take the paper…

"Ahem." Someone, who was most definitely not any of us, cleared their throat.

Dang.  
____________________________________


	7. Angel of Gangland

Alright! Two chapters in one day! And all thanks to the power of good reviews. I got ONE particularly long review and I was like "Okay, I don't even have to read this all the way through and I am sure that the next chapter is going up!"

So yeah. This chapter is the culmination of the 'flashback arc' I think. And it is by far my favorite chapter of anything I have written.

To my Reviewers:

Paon- I am so happy you approve. I was kinda afraid at first about veering away from the main story for multiple chapters, risking the people might get impatient, since there has not been, and will not be any RoyxEd action for a little bit longer. But if you guys are liking it, then so am I!!

freakgirlXD- Firstly, thanks for such a great review! YOU are the reviewer that inspired me to put up this new chapter today! I am really glad that people take time to think about the story in relation to the manga/anime. I try to stick to the same basic morals and character layouts as the original manga. And I really like that you enjoy my use of shit-tastic literary techniques! And yes, Roy IS a complete moron for Ed under all that bravado he puts on.

I am currently getting the 9th chapter betaed, so you guys shouldn't have to wait too terribly long for the next chapter. I have to catch you guys up with AFF and LJ after all. ^_^

Love you guys, thanks for reading and please review!!

* * *

Angel of Gangland 

~~One year ago~~  
"Sir."

I turned around to find Havoc breathing down my neck. He looked like he had been running from the devil. It was sad that one of my future subordinates (because, I was obviously going to have a higher rank than him next year) could resemble a panting, rabid dog. I mean, one would think that at least a_ little _of my glorious presence would rub off on him.

"What is it Havoc? What could possibly be so important that you feel the need," I looked over at my girlfriend, Maria Ross, "to interrupt this lovely conversation we were having?" Not that I cared, really. I was just about to dump her as he had walked up.

But, still, Havoc deciding to be a jackass front of someone who was still _technically_ my girlfriend could not be tolerated, so I decided to continue berating him.

"Is the sky falling? Did someone die? Are you-"

"SIR." He spoke out over me, "Elric is on the move."

I stopped speaking and just looked at him.

'_Elric? Who the hell is Elric? A past girlfriend perhaps? No…Havoc wouldn't come tell me anything about a girl…he would be too afraid that I'd steal one of his prospects again. So who then? There is no Elric on the Student Council. But that sounds familiar for some reason…Elric, Elric…Edwina Elric? No…that doesn't sound right…Edwin? Edmund? There is just something about that name…_'

There was an almost audible 'click' in the back of my head. And, suddenly, I knew. This was my chance. This was a scandal big enough for me to easily gain the presidency next year.

And right there, in the middle of the hallway, right next to my soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend's locker, in front of my Free-period homeroom, I, Roy Mustang, almost squealed for joy—almost.

Edward Elric. The key to my triumph.

Once I had managed to avoid humiliating myself in front of my peers, I straightened my spine and looked Havoc straight in the eye.

"Tell me everything."

~V0V~

"I had been watching him for a while you know," said Hughes "but when Free-period started, things got a bit weird."

After I had hastily dropped the bomb on my now-ex-girlfriend, Havoc and I had sped away to find Hawkeye and Hughes. We were now marching towards our -my- victory.

"He met up with some chick-"

"Noa Heidrich." Hawkeye put in.

"Yeah, her. So, he met up with her and they were all whisper-whisper for a while, and then she showed him something." Hughes continued.

"What was it?" I questioned.

"A piece of paper. But, from where I was I couldn't hear anything. Then, they started walking, and that let me get a bit closer while they were distracted. The girl-"

"Noa." Hawkeye again corrected.

"Yeah, her," Hughes said with a slightly annoyed expression. "She said something about avoiding 'unwanted interruptions'. Then, they disappeared behind those stairs," Hughes pointed towards the stairwell to the science hall.

We were fast approaching our destination. I could see Breda leaning casually against the door to the library. Fuery sat studying a paper on a nearby bench. Falman could be seen on the side of the stair facing us. Havoc and Hawkeye were at my sides and Hughes- Maes, who would forever remain my truest, and dearest friend-was behind me, I was once again struck by how loyal they were. By how lucky I was to have them. They were here to back me up. To help me get to the top. And I wanted to deliver.

Hawkeye began to circle around me defensively. After all, dealing with gang members wasn't exactly safe. But no. I wanted to do this. I wanted to be at the forefront, to deliver the final blow by myself.

I held out my hand to stop Hawkeye's advance. Making sure that I had everyone's attention, I signaled for them to stay here, and come back me up at the proper time.

I hesitated a second longer, relishing in the taste of the chase coming to a close. But, a nod from Hughes was all it took to get me moving again.

I took deep breaths as I closed the distance between myself and what lay behind those stairs. It was strange, how everything seemed to slow to a crawl. In these few moments, the limbo in between failure and success, my senses went into super-drive and I could feel_ everything_.

I could smell the cleaning-solution that was used on the floor every night. I could taste the tang of my own saliva within the walls of my mouth. The sound of distant chatter from other students floated to my ears. The lights seemed to burn just that much brighter- every color and shape seemed to jump out at me. The white and green tiled floors, the neon colored flyers taped to the walls, the stairs.

I could feel the slickness of sweat on my palms. The slightly rough texture of my shirt against my skin. I was sensitive to the flow of blood through my veins. The beat of my heart pulsed in time with my quick steps.

The rush I got from just walking a few paces was exhilarating.

Feeing powerful and in control, I rounded the corner.

What I saw before me was about what I expected. A cappuccino-colored girl was handing a scrap of paper to a tall, dark haired girl, who had a shy looking girl behind her. So Elric did have accomplices. I had thought as much.

There was a slight, but obviously male form angled away from me, so all I could see of him was his long blonde hair. That was my target.

'_Time to take him down._'

"Ahem." I cleared my throat and waited for the panic to ensue.

The one handing the other two girls the paper froze. The tall girl whipped around and stared at me with her mouth hanging open. The smaller girl looked over her shoulder at me with wide eyes.

The boy- Elric- stiffened, shoulders hunching, back muscles hardening, and curled his hands into fists. I tensed too, ready to duck a blow, if it came to that. Out of everyone here, he was the most likely to resort to violence.

But, instead of the expected volley of angry right hooks, he inhaled deeply and turned towards me slowly. When he came to face me fully, he exhaled, and before I even had time to take in all his features, he opened his eyes.

And then there was nothing.

No school, no Student Council, no gangs, no ambitions.

Nothing but those beautiful, haunting, otherworldly eyes.

I gasped and gazed into identical twin amber spheres, completely transfixed. Every conceivable emotion swam in their depths, driving all thoughts from my mind. The light reflected in them did not seem to come from the outside world, but from some inner source that shone out from them, and the fact that they had deemed me worthy enough to light upon made my body instantly harden. I would be eternally grateful to whoever was up there for giving me this instant to stand out above all others.

His eyes kept spinning, wheeling dizzyingly, and I was drowning in them, _I couldn't breathe_-

"Roy." That voice, as familiar to me as the back of my hand carried with it glorious air and I gulped it in greedily.

Hughes walked up beside me and gave me a questioning look, then turned back to the group in front of us.

"Well Elric, the jig is up, and you have just delivered yourself conveniently into our laps." My best friend intoned.

_'What? What could he possibly mean by that?'_

"Yeah. Just be a good boy and come with us. We can hand you over to the police without much fuss." Breda said from somewhere behind me.

'_What is with that tone of voice? How can they talk to him that way? Wait—the police?_'

No. No one could possibly harm this wondrous creature. I would not allow it.

"Guys." I croaked. I swallowed. Suddenly, my throat seemed so dry…

I tried again. "Guys," I said, somewhat more successfully this time, "we can't do this."

"What? Of course we can. We caught them in the act." Fuery said seriously.

I glanced back to him, and then returned my attention to the scene in front of me. The girls had straightened up and were now looking on anxiously. Edward –_Edward_, God, why hadn't I realized how absolutely gorgeous that name was before now?- stood in the same position as he had a few moments ago. His face spoke of confusion, puzzlement at my actions. His eyes were still tilting madly, but, for some reason, the surface of them looked slightly calmer. There was something else there now. When I squinted a bit to try and make it out, I could see a tiny flicker of hope. It only made him all the more beautiful.

That flame could not be extinguished.

I shook my head. "No. They haven't done anything wrong. Simply talking is not of enough consequence to accuse them of anything."

Hawkeye moved up on my right and whispered "What are you doing?" so low, I almost thought that I had imagined it.

They were loyal-but they were also a tough crowd. If they thought I was throwing away my ambitions for a stupid reason, they wouldn't let me get away with it. I had to play this carefully if I was going to spare Edward from a harsh fate.

I decided to take a gamble. I could only hope that Edward's little friends weren't stupid enough to let this fall through.

I walked forward slowly, and approached the cinnamon skinned girl, who (now that my brain was working) I could only assume was Noa.

"Noa, right?" I asked amicably.

She nodded very slowly.

"Ok. May I see that paper please?" I intoned, in the same way one would ask a kindergartener.

Noa hesitantly held out the paper to me. She didn't show much fear on her face, but, when I went to take the proffered item, I could feel her fingers shaking.

I unfolded this seemingly harmless square of paper, read over it once, and inwardly smiled. This could work.

"All this has on it is what looks to be a movie time, a theater name, and directions. Here, see for yourself." I offered it to Hughes and he took it, seeming quite perplexed. He read it and held it out for everyone else to read.

_8:00 pm __  
__Crowne Cinema __  
__From the school: L, L on Madison, R after third stoplight, keep going to the end of the __  
__street. __  
_

"Ok…yeah, this isn't bad, but we should at least investigate-" Havoc began.

"I see no reason to look into something that is clearly an innocent act."

Everyone gave me looks that ranged from angry, to confused, to deadpan. I gave a little sigh, and asked over my shoulder, "What are you guys going to see?"

The two girls who appeared to just be the recipients of all this opened and closed their mouths like fishes out of water. Noa narrowed her eyes, her mouth forming a hard line.

Only Edward spoke. "Transformers II. I thought the first one was crap, so I convinced them to come with me to see if the second was any better."

Oh. My. God. He spoke. He spoke to _me_. That alluring voice couldn't possibly belong to an earthly creature. And he was smart too. Being able to act under pressure like that was an invaluable trait.

"Y-yes. Of course." I said to him, still a bit shocked.

"So," I turned back to my friends, "there is nothing wrong going on here. Shall we move along?"

They still looked skeptical, (Except for Fuery…I was going to have to talk to him about being so trusting, even if it was helping me at the moment) but, with enough encouraging gestures from me, they turned to leave.

I walked after them and turned to look back at the would be criminals—at _him_, before I rounded the corner. Edward was looking at me with a mixture of confusion and relief.

"Thanks." He said.

Good Lord. The heavens must have opened up and sent an angel to me. And for_ him _to be thanking _me_…

For the first time in my life, I was really and truly humbled. And that only made me want him more.

"No need to thank me." I whispered, and continued around the stairs.

Edward Elric. The key to everything in life that I had always thought were only in fairy tales.


	8. Of Runway Models and Door Slamming

Oh my God, I am soooo sick. I'm sorry that it has taken so long to update. Anyway, this is where we get back to the present, and learn a little bit more of Ed's history.

To My Reviewers:

Paon- Roy is adorable in his own way. ^_^

catxmelons- And I adore you for reviewing! Thanks!

mrawgirl09- …You're right, Roy is a fanboy…lol…

YamiTenshiKoi- Yeah, I couldn't have Ed get in trouble. Roy is too nice for that. ^_^

wishfulliving89- Neither can I!!

freakgirlXD- Wow, you get the Reviewer of the Day award. ^_^ I love hearing your comments on all this. So, I am glad that you found something to quote from my story. Yeah, I really do try to stick to the original characters personalities because that is how I fell in love with them. Oh, and don't worry, I'm a sap too. XD Even though Roy is totally in love with Ed, he is still a man-whore. In a good way though!

shadowX101- Glad you like the story!!

BTW, my beta is out for a while, so I don't know how long it will be till my next update...honestly, I am kinda stuck. I want to hear what you guys want. What do you see the characters doing after this chapter??? Obviously, I can't promise that I will go with any one idea, but I love hearing what others think and you never know, I might get inspired by something you tell me!!

Thanks for reading and please review!!

* * *

Of Runway Models and Door Slamming

I shook my head to clear it of all my wayward thoughts. No. There would be no forgiving that bastard. Edward Elric was _not_ some helpless charity case.

"What the fuck do you want, you prick?" I snapped.

He seemed to be shocked at the fact that I could speak. His eyes widened, letting more light shine into the normally small slits. I noted, offhand, that his eyes were the exact color of obsidian. Great, one more reason for him to preen himself in front of women…'Oh, I am Roy Mustang, descended from on high to mingle with the commoners! Look upon my eyes, which are the color of your darkest dreams, and worship me, so I can use you and throw you away like a tissue!' I could just see him saying something like that.

"Can't a guy come into the bathroom without being prosecuted?" He said, standing straighter.

_Not when he is a hoity-toity d-bag_, my mind hissed.

Rather than actually saying that, I simply stared at him and tried to communicate my thoughts via the Force.

I watched as he slowly knitted his eyebrows together. This was the biggest show of emotion from 'el presidente' that I had seen in a while. He was normally cool as a cucumber. Except when he took time out of his schedule of awesomeness to stare at me. Speaking of which…

"How about you stop freakin' staring at me and start walking, eh?" I snarled.

He snorted. "Pardon me, but since when do you have the right to decide who can and can't be in the bathroom? Unless you were doing something you didn't want me to see…"

It was somehow phrased as both a question and a statement of fact at the same time. The only thing that kept me from clobbering him at that moment was the fact that if I got suspended, Al would suffer for it too.

I hadn't wanted any one to find me in here…some stupid fuck had spilled hot coffee all over my arm. I knew he had done it on purpose, but Noa was more concerned with me getting it under cold water than with me defending myself. So I ended up in here with a burn on my arm and being mortified that someone had found me in this state. And then there was the…I couldn't even call it staring in this case. It was like Mustang was somehow trying to see under my skin and whatever was underneath was a precious treasure. It made me feel weird that this conservative playboy was looking at me like I was some mortal incarnation of Aphrodite.

Finally, I decided that I had endured enough of the awkward vibe in the air. I took a step forward and inwardly smirked as I watched Mustang try not to flinch. One deep breath later, I was doing my best impression of a runway model, and waltzing past the world's-biggest-looser and out the door, with my nose in the air the whole time.

~0x0~

I got home after yet another horrible day of people avoiding me and teachers looking at me like I was a retard even though I had an A+ in every class.

I heard someone calling my name from the kitchen, so I dropped my bag with a solid 'thunk' and slouched my way through the front hallway and turned to my left. There was Teacher, chopping up vegetables from tonight's dinner.

"Aw, common, Teacher. You know I hate carrots…" I whined, not really meaning it.

"Then I guess you just won't eat, huh?" She said as she turned around.

That was Teacher for you. She was definitely a 'tough-love' type of person. I wouldn't have it any other way though. It made her being so kind to Al and me easier to bear.

Izumi (who Al and I had taken to calling 'Teacher'…she had taught us all the important stuff in life after all) and Sig Curtis had taken us in after Mom died…even though our childhood friend, Winry and Auntie Pinako were in Resembool, Al hadn't wanted to stay in a town with so many painful memories and I hadn't wanted to stay cooped up with a couple of crazy mechanics. So we had packed up and sneaked out in the middle of the night and tried to catch a ride to…somewhere. Anywhere. Sig had found us hiking on the side of a country road and picked us up and took us to what would wind up being our home for the next few years.

Of course, as soon as we got there, Teacher had kicked us 'knuckle-headed brats' out. Al was tenacious about this though. He had been more sensible than I, (and probably still was) and he knew that sleeping on the streets in a big city was a bad idea. So, we wound up throwing temper-tantrums on her front steps until she let us back in. After that, it was like we were her own kids. She fed us, bathed us and gave us a place to sleep at night. Of course she was hard on us, and made us work, but I myself didn't mind. Working meant we were earning our place there.

It was only after we had been living here a while that we found out that Teacher had taken it upon herself to make a call to our home town and that the Rockbells were moving to Central…that was not a fun reunion.

The end all and be all of it was that we were stuck here. And I had refused to freeload forever. I vowed that I would start paying rent, but I was too young and under qualified to get a job that would pay for both me and my brother. So I had made the tough decision to join a gang…Al was devastated that I would do something so brash. Teacher and Pinako were furious (Teacher was so mad, that when I got my first tattoo, she slammed my head into a tree. The stitches only made me look more like a bad ass, though, so I didn't mind much).

They didn't understand that I had no choice…everyone thought that it would be okay for me to just wallow in my misery for free…it ended up that Teacher and I had a shouting match. She said that she hated gangs, and that she wouldn't promote such things in her household. I had to 'explain' at the top of my lungs that this was non-optional. The only place I would ever stay in for free was in my home. And it wasn't home anymore because Mom wasn't there. I didn't have a place for my childhood to be anymore, so I had given it up in favor of making sure that Al didn't have to deal with all the crap that I did. I didn't want to be a delinquent, but taking the blow for my little brother was a thousand times better than watching him fall.

Teacher tentatively accepted it after that and made me swear not to kill anyone or be killed myself. And over the last year or so, the rift in the house healed. It was true that Izumi Curtis wasn't Mom, but she was the best thing Al and I had to call family in a long time. And I really cared for her because of that.

My stomach chose this moment to rouse me from my reverie and tell me just what it thought about me not helping get supper to it faster.

Teacher smiled at the sound of my stomach rumbling. Rather than commenting on it though, she just said,"You're home early today."

Yeah. Loa had noticed that I was having a pretty bad day and convinced Greed to let me have a day off. Surprisingly, he didn't put up much of a fuss. The spikey haired asshole had the emotional attention span of a 13-year-old girl.

Rather than responding, I began exploring the fridge for something else to put in what I assumed was going to be soup. Naturally, the one time when I was preoccupied, was when the front door was opened and slammed shut with a resounding crack. After recovering from bonking my head on the refrigerator door (and keeping myself from swearing in front of Teacher) I stood up to see what had happened.

Al was in the process of storming across the front hall and up the stairs, stopping only to give me a hard glare. I guess he was still mad about our tussle the other day.

"I don't think I want to know what that was…Go fix it Edward." a smooth voice said from behind me.

"What!? Did you see his face? He looked about ready to kill me." I complained as I turned around.

Teacher just looked at me like I would regret it if I didn't go up and console my brother _right now_.

I sighed without really putting any feeling behind it and began the long trek up to Al's room. I was sure that I was going to regret it.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	9. Book Bound Smile

Ok. My beta is slightly less dead now, so here is the betaed version of this chapter. Not many changes, but still. I want to inform you all, that I got a new computer for my birthday, and it is a Macintosh. While that is totally beyond awesome, it may take some time for me to transfer all my files and get used to it. I have no idea if it will have any real impact on my writing or not, just be aware of it. ^_^

To My Reviewers:

freakgirlXD- Yes 'tough-love' describes her perfectly

violetspain- I know that you commented on ch. 1, but you will get here eventually. ^_^ Thanks!

Haibara Kawaii- Wow, thanks for all your lovely reviews! Keep working at your own writing, and don't give up! You will get better as long as you try hard!

I'm At My All Time Low- Heh, yeah. We will learn more about Al's destructive finesse next chapter. ^_^ Thanks!!

Paon- Thanks for your suggestion! As you will see in this chapter, I took it to heart! Just not in the way you might expect… XD

shadowX101- I am so glad that you look forward to these chapters!

wishfulliving89- glad to keep you waiting with baited breath!!!

**~0x0~**

On the one hand, I couldn't believe how pissed I was. On the other hand, I just couldn't stop myself from laughing hysterically.

**~0x0~**

Since I hadn't had anything better to do, early this morning I had burst into the principal's office and shoved some meaningless requisition forms under the old man's nose, just because I could. Being Roy Mustang did have its benefits after all.

All in all, it had been a fine day. I had a new girlfriend for two whole hours. She lasted until the point at which she began this annoying twitching while we hugged…if that happened from a single embrace, I didn't want to know what a kiss would do to the poor sap. I mean, I understand that merely being in my presence is enough to bring most mortals to their knees, but she didn't even have the decency to compose herself, and go into euphoria induced seizures later.

After that, I scared the crap out of the men's choir when I came in to find Fury…I never knew male voices could climb that many octaves that fast.

Everything had been going great until I felt a familiar (but no less intimidating) shaking beneath my feet.

He was running. How many times did I have to tell him not to do that?

I turned around to see exactly what I had known would be there. 350 lbs of pure, nearly bald muscle charging at me with the gusto of a train coming off its track. I managed to keep myself from flinching as my pro-wrestling worthy friend skidded to a halt mere inches from me.

"Armstrong. Back from your vacation, I see."

"Yes sir. The Caribbean is lovely this time of year…"said a burly tenor from somewhere behind a very impressive moustache.

Stress must have driven me into a schizophrenic episode, because I would have sworn that I could see little pink sparkles everywhere…that couldn't be a good sign.

Armstrong, in all his 7 ft tall glory then proceeded to grind my spine into fine powder with a gigantic bear hug and a "Oh, how I have missed our mutual camaraderie!"

Everyone within a 10 mile radius turned to look at the disgustingly mushy scene…not that I cared. I was more concerned with the fact that my lungs just refused to expand under all the pressure.

Once again, Hughes saved me. I heard him cracking up behind us.

'_Oh…the last sound I ever hear before dying of asphyxiation will be my best friend's laugh…how utterly unpleasant.'_

But, God seemed to have taken a liking to me today. The moment Armstrong heard my other buddy, he dropped me and snapped a salute to my newly dubbed hero extraordinaire.

'Thank you.' I mouthed between gasps, and Maes gave me a wink. "Howdy, Alex. Long time no see." He said.

'_Long time, no breaking my back.'_ I silently replied in time with Armstrong's nod.

"Hey, speaking of 'no see'…have either of you seen Havoc? We were both working on the School Spirit Week plans and he disappeared. I have to get these flyer layouts to him and my next class is in five minutes."

Well, I, being the wonderful and mostly perfect person that I am, decided that it must not be said that Roy Mustang let his dear friend (and apparent life saver) be late to class.

"Don't worry about it Hughes. I'll find him. I've got a free-period next anyway."

'_And my back will condemn me to death if I don't repay its savior.'_

"Ah! How wonderful it is to have such a marvelous friendship in the spring of youth!" Armstrong bellowed. Like he would know. He was the exact same age as me.

The giant, puppy-like man took the forms from a bemused looking Hughes and handed them to me.

"Fear not, my friend, for I saw Jean just a few minutes ago. He appeared to be heading into the library." Twittered my oversized friend.

"T-Thanks. I'll see you two around then." And with that, I hurried off before Armstrong could give me a good bye hug.

**~0x0~**

The library in our school was beyond huge. I mean, it had its own wing. Looking for someone in it could easily take 30 minutes. So, in the mean time, I thought I would browse through the selection of fiction. I had a secret weakness for vampire romance novels. I plucked one that I had already read 3 times off the shelf and rounded a corner to the other side of the aisle.

Apparently, God had set me free earlier, only to laugh at me as I died now.

There he was, back against the far wall, the lightning causing him to cast a shadow over the already dark paint. He looked absolutely perfect, standing there, engrossed in his book. He didn't even look up as I entered his territory.

Logically, I knew I should have backed up and just let him be. But the need to be near my book-bound angel and bask in his glow was too great. So, slowly, I walked forward, towards Edward, god of perfection.

I knew the exact moment he realized that he was not alone. His tattoos shifted somehow, and his eyes come into focus. He lifted his head in slow-motion and gazed at me. I could tell that he hadn't forgotten our altercation the other day. He gave me a cool once over.

I was beginning to think that at any moment he would burn me to a crisp with his super-secret heat vision or something, but instead all he said was "Vampires don't sparkle."

Oh, a blow below the belt, eh?

"Excuse me, but Twilight is a highly creative book that gives wonderful insight into the psyche of women." I retorted.

His nose wrinkled and he seemed to bare his teeth at that. "Oh, of course. Even if it is total crap, you can't just read it for the entertainment value. You want to find more ways to pick up chicks." He snarled. Edward snapped his book shut and stormed off.

Well. Obviously someone was having a less than ideal day. But, that had been a little uncalled for. So, being the prideful creature (masochist) that I am, I followed him into the back area that had one or two secluded tables for quiet reading. I rounded the book shelf, getting ready to tell off the obnoxious (totally hot) blonde what for...and ran right into him.

Looking down at him, I saw two interesting things. One, he was beat red. Two, he looked absolutely mortified.

I smiled to myself. '_Finally realized how wrong you were to make fun of Roy Mustang eh, Edwa…what is he staring at?'_

I followed his line of sight and figured out what had really caused that look. Havoc was sitting at the far end of one of the tables, half covered in shadow. There was an upside-down book on the table in front of him and his chair was pulled out, so that it was facing us. He hadn't noticed us yet, though. No wonder, since his eyes were closed. And he was panting. And his pants were unzipped, and his arm was moving, and his hand was pumping along his…

'_OH GOD, MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' _Screamed my internal grasp on my sanity.

Havoc. Library. Masturbation. What the fuck?

Naturally, I wanted to double up and barf my lungs out. But, I didn't think Edward would appreciate me puking on him, and there were more important things to be done anyway.

One of my men yanking it on the school campus was absolutely not acceptable.

I steeled myself against the nausea and walked around the still horrified blonde and toward my soon-to-be-dead friend.

I walked around the table, behind the disgusting perpetrator. I stood in contemplation for a moment, deciding on my next move. With Havoc, the best way was normally the most direct…so, I gave him a quick tap on the shoulder.

"Motherfuckingjesus!" gasped Havoc as he jumped about five feet in the air.

"Good morning, Jean. Nice weather we're having, huh?" I asked as casually as possible.

He turned his head to look at me, eyes wide and jaw on the floor. Then, he seemed to realize that I (unfortunately) had a clear view or his 'jimmy' and rushed to cover himself.

"S-Sir…I…"

"Hughes wanted me to give these to you." I said, relieving him from the burden of speech.

I plopped the papers I had been carrying down on top of the book that he had been 'reading' (Human anatomy…the guy could seriously get a boner from a biology book!?).

"Don't touch them until you have washed your hands." I gave a decisive snort, turned on my heel, and began to walk away.

Edward was still there, with his mouth gaping open. He didn't appear to have the ability to use his motor skills at the moment, so, I did him a favor and grasped his shoulder, turning him as I continued to walk. I gave him a light push and he stumbled forward, around a book shelf.

I was going to follow him, but, I couldn't just leave a criminal unpunished, so, I tossed one last comment over my shoulder:

"You know I have no shame right? So if I ever find you doing that again, I will strip you naked, hang you upside down on the flagpole by your toes and hold a fundraiser event for homeless shelters featuring a public waxing of your balls."

**~0x0~**

When I finally made it out of the library, Edward was there, leaning against the wall, as he had been when I had seen him earlier. Only, he was slightly green and looked as though he was torn between running for the bathroom and hitting something.

"I'm…sorry that you had to see that. He has been adequately reprimanded."

My yellow-eyed counterpart looked down and mumbled something that I didn't quite catch.

"Pardon?" came my response.

He cleared his throat and lifted his head a little, refusing to meet my eyes.

"I never got to check out my book," he stated meekly.

"Ah. Well, sorry about that." I took a deep breath. "I…I should have just walked around and let you read in peace, rather that goading you." Not quite an apology, but…

He jerked his head up to look at me. He was looking at me. Without hostility. God, it was glorious.

He seemed to think for a moment and a twinkle came to his eye. "Well. That's ok. In return, you will have to let me lecture you about why Twilight goes against every decent vampire precept ever created." He said with a small, mischievous smile.

My heart nearly stopped. That someone as unworthy as myself could make this…this…wonderful boy smile…

Lordy, he was going to have to warn me, before he smiled from now on. Otherwise, I was going to die an early death from a heart attack.

"I think that can be arranged." I returned with a grin.

**~0x0~**


	10. The Lion, The Witch, and The Bastard

Ugh. Sorry about the wait guys. But, between this chapter being pretty long (by my standards, anyway), writer's block, school, and work, this thing has taken a while to finish. Now fully betaed.

Anyway…sorry about the rant posing as a chapter. Most of the crap in my life has straightened itself out, and I am not that pissy anymore. I got a massive influx of support that helped me get through this. ^_^ Thanks guys. There fore the Reveiwer Replys section is going to be MASSIVE…I think that I will put them at the end, so it wont take up so much room…

As for the last 'chapter'…I will leave it for a couple days after I post this, so people will know that I have updated…then I will take it down and put a long foot note at the end of the first chapter. Sound good?

Thanks again guys!

**~OxO~**

It was weird.

I used to hate him…I used to think that he had helped me out, just so I would behave, or maybe he thought that he would get something out of it. After all, you don't get something for nothing, right?

But…recently, I'd found myself not being so on edge when we were in the same room. We nodded to each other in the hallways. Sure, he still gave me odd looks sometimes, I guess when he thought I wasn't looking. And he was still a womanizing prick.

But something had changed. Some shift in the ether had caused this…almost…friendliness between us.

Was it possible that Roy Mustang really wasn't that bad?

**~OxO~**

Most kids hated Mondays. The start of the week, not being able to sleep in, returning to teachers and schoolwork just ticked most people off.

I loved Mondays.

I got to see Al living his life outside the house, which was just the most amazing thing ever. Seeing my little brother laugh and have a grab at his own slice of everything was the absolute best thing in my life. And there was a small part that enjoyed the prejudice against Mondays. I kind of identified with that. Everyone hating you just for being there. Even though there are good things that happen on Mondays, everyone only sees the bad. If 'Monday' was a person, and not a day, I thought that we would be pretty much alike.

And…when being totally honest with myself there was a dark, secret place inside me that liked to play pretend. And Monday was the only day I could really get away with that. Only on Mondays could I imagine that everyone around me was acting so hateful, not because they didn't like me, but because they didn't like Mondays. It seemed kind of shallow, but it was the only way could trick myself into believing, that, just for a moment, I actually belonged.

And, on a more upbeat note, I didn't have to work on Mondays. Among other quirks that I could only equate with his odd 'code', Greed insisted that everyone in the gang get a day off. I remember Fletcher saying that I was unlucky to have gotten Monday as my free day, because I still had to go to school. But, it really seemed to work this way, so I didn't mind.

Thus, every Monday followed a typical routine: Wake up, shower, eat a sad excuse for a breakfast, come to school. That was followed by a mostly normal school day…the only noticeable difference was that Noa never talked business with me on Monday. Then, Winry would come to pick up Al and me.

That was all completely normal, so I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself when Winry pulled up and I felt uncomfortable getting in the familiar old pickup truck.

Getting in next to my little brother felt like getting up close and personal with a grumpy lion. Al was still pissed. Really pissed. And I really had no idea what to do about it…

**~Couple Days Ago~**

I trudged up the stairs, a cold dread building in the pit of my stomach. I did not want to go up there, where I knew my imminent doom was awaiting…but, if I went back downstairs now, I'd just get sent up here again.

I wasn't the type of person to run away from a tough situation. However, I didn't really want to die at sixteen either. So, I didn't feel that bad about trying to come up with every conceivable excuse to not go talk to my brother. Unfortunately, a pissy Teacher could be just as bad as a pissy Al.

And so, stuck between a rock and a hard place, I crested the stairs and turned right into the hallway. All the way at the end of the hall were two doors, right across from each other. They marked how different my brother and I really were. Al's door on the left was simple, unblemished, but for one of those 'enter/do not disturb' flip-over signs hanging from his doorknob. That was just Alphonse for you. Calm and simple. Looking at the door on my right was almost like looking in a mirror. It had random decorative crap all over it. But, it wasn't gang-poser decorations. The entrance to my own personal haven was just…me. Chaotic and quirky. There were band posters on it (Not just emo-goth bands. Yeah, MCR and AFI were up there, but so were Matchbox 20 and the Goo Goo Dolls), a 'no stupid people allowed' sign, a couple pages of the Anime Insider magazine I had ripped out (You could bet your ass one was a review on Sailor Moon. I didn't care what anybody said, whoever came up with the idea of school girls flitting around on rooftops and kicking ass in mega-miniskirts was a fucking genius). A couple movie posters adorned the corners (Iron Man was the best fucking super hero movie of the modern era, and was therefore worthy of hanging next to the likes of the Moon Princess herself) and my personal favorite: a big yellow 'x-ing' sign with a picture of a flying monkey on it sat right smack dab in the middle of all that crap.

'_Heh…maybe that would cheer Al up. Who doesn't love winged primates?' _ I thought to myself.

Smiling a bit at the thought of flying monkeys swooping through the hallway, I took the safe route to my own room. I opened the dump of cultural feces that was my door and stepped inside. After shutting it behind me, I took a moment to survey what I considered to be a sanctuary. My room really was a reflection of me. Wild, out there, and not afraid to speak my mind loudly on the outside, but the inner walls of the only space that could be close to being my own were quieter. There were no posters on the inside of the door, no crazy voodoo dolls or anything like that. The walls were a rich blue, trimmed with a silver band near the ceiling. The line was a little jagged in places, since it was hand done, but it looked nice enough. I had my window with the overly expensive wooden blinds I got for my birthday last year (plastic blinds sucked, and keeping the little lace curtains that were originally there would've been kinda…gay) on the window opposite of my door. On the right wall was my faux-wood desk that mostly matched my blinds. This had paper and crap strewn all over it and several rubber bands were wrapped around the desk lamp. The only clean spots over there were my shitty metal folding chair and the sacred space where my itty-bitty, pre-owned laptop rested.

On the left wall was my silver-painted entertainment center with my 19-inch T.V. that had the casing cracked in one corner with my old PS2 perched precariously on top of it. On the shelf below the T.V. was my 500-dollar sound system (I was a major audiophile). To each side of the electronics' nest were the two bookshelves Al and Sig had made for me for the holidays one year. Next to the door, the wall jutted out a bit to make room for my closet, which had sliding mirrored doors.

The only other notable thing was what you saw right when you walked in. Right under the window, along the wall was my small bed, clad in its burnished metal frame, bedecked with black pillows and a cover fashioned after the night sky. One would think that a starry blanket would look pretty hokey, but this one was really nice. I paid a fortune for it at one of those Native American trading stores that you find on the sides of highways. It was hand-woven and more like a tapestry than a blanket. The background was a deep blue-black color. The stars were different sizes and multiple shades of blue, green, yellow, and white, with little sparkly strands of thread in them that made them shimmer. There were a couple of rainbow-hued nebulas on it. And right in the middle of it was a big sapphire colored circle with a triangle in it. There were various unrecognizable symbols on it that looked sort of like a cross between basic shapes, kanji and hieroglyphics. The shop owner told me that 'The Ancients' used these circle things in rituals to turn bad crops into good ones. Like, a tree-hugger version of the old European practice of alchemy. But, seriously, this thing was just…stunning.

I remembered going into the shop because Al wanted to and not really caring enough to look at anything. But then, I caught a glimpse of this blanket on display and I just had to have it. And I don't mean I wanted it a lot. I _had_ to have it. Something about the stars, and the circle sent a rush through me and made my fingers tingle. I'd never resonated with a material object like that and I actually went out of my way to make sure the shopkeeper saved it for me until I could pay for it. Al was so happy that I had found something I loved so much and that I wanted to 'broaden my horizons with Indian culture,' that he didn't protest at splurging on something so unnecessary.

I went and picked up my old friend, and threw it over my arm. If it could keep someone as cold as me warm at night, then maybe it would make for a good peace offering and help me warm my brother's heart.

**~Present~**

It didn't.

Al had just kept his door shut and wouldn't let me in, and I hadn't had a chance to talk with him since.

At the end of the day, Winry really was our sister, blood be damned. Her sibling spidey-sense had obviously picked up the weird vibes coming from the back seat and she kept glancing worriedly at us in the rearview mirror.

Surprisingly enough, she managed to keep her mouth shut until we got to her house. We pulled up in the driveway of Pinako Rockbell's small, but happy home. It was a nice robin's egg blue with a trim front lawn. Walking in the front door of the Rockbell place always reminded me of home. It smelled like homemade bread and motor oil, two scents that somehow managed to work together in this place. I took a moment to breathe it in and relive memories of happier times, when Al rudely shoving his way past me, into the house pushed me back into the present.

I sighed heavily and followed him into the house, Winry close behind me. I could just feel her worry and curiosity, and I wasn't looking forward to all the nagging questions that she would no doubt drill me with when she got the chance.

I flopped ungraciously onto the very small couch in the living room (I could just hear Fate laughing at me because it was the exact right size for me…damn genetics…) Naturally, Granny Pinako told me to 'Straighten up, real men don't slouch.'

"Old hag." I muttered under my breath.

"What did you say, midget?" Of course. She was, like, 60, but her hearing could still pick up on my mutterings.

"Nothing!" I quickly answered.

It was about that time when Winry appeared out of nowhere and motioned for me to follow her. I shrugged and left my comfy spot on the couch, and followed her down the hall to her room. As with every time I came into Winry's room, I was momentarily dazed by the sharp contrast of the pink walls and the racks of wrenches and screwdrivers that adorned them.

"I know you and Al are having a fight," she said the moment the door closed, "So spill. What happened?"

I heaved a sigh and followed it up with "I don't know…he was at my work the other day and I told him to leave…then he started shouting something about the gang coming in between us, or something. I mean, I know that I spend a lot of time working, but I have to. He knows that, so I don't understand why he is upset."

The nutty mechanic just looked at me like I was the dumbest thing ever to walk the face of the Earth. A minute or so passed in total silence.

Finally, it got too awkward for me. "What?"

"You…don't understand...that's a joke, right?"

"No…"I said slowly. "It's not. Have any advice as to what the problem is?"

She then got this odd exasperated look on her face and rolled her eyes. "God, for a guy with an obnoxiously high IQ, you sure are stupid. Anyone who can't figure that out deserves a little pain and suffering."

"Wait, what? Why am I suddenly stupid?"

She just shook her head at that, which only served to make me more confused.

"You…aren't going to tell me, are you?"

"Nope." She stated frankly. "Now get out of my room, dinner will be ready soon." Winry said, while pushing me out the door.

"Lousy bitch." I whispered.

"What was that?" snapped the most frustrating girl ever.

"I said that you can be such a witch, Winry."

**~OxO~**

On Tuesday, I was busy moping, and not really paying attention to anything Noa was saying, so she told me to take the rest of the day to get my head out of my ass, so I would be able to work later.

Sighing, I worked my way to the library, the only place I didn't really have to worry about keeping up appearances. At least I could use my free period to read and get away from it all for a while.

After browsing for a few minutes, I settled on "A Wrinkle In Time" and shuffled over to my normal reading spot. The old, familiar smell of paper long forgotten lulled me into a calmer state of mind, and eventually, I was completely absorbed in the story, and thinking to myself that Charles Wallace was a pretentious little twerp to try and take on that nasty brain thing alone.

Just then, I felt something…a tingling on the edge of my consciousness. I knew exactly what it was, but what surprised me was that it wasn't nearly as unpleasant a feeling as last time.

Looking up, I saw Mr. Awesome himself smirking at me. For once, his eyes weren't…asinine or creepy stalkery, so I was actually able to concentrate on the other things about him. He had on a blue button up shirt over a white undershirt that was accompanied by black pants and those annoying black loafers that were too formal for school, but not formal enough to be 'dress shoes', so he could get away with them. His clothes along with his dark hair that was tousled _just so_ really pulled off the tall, (shit, why was everyone such a fucking Amazon!) dark, and handsome look pretty well. Not that I would ever tell him that.

"You look very gay today, Mr. President." I said in a crappy British accent.

Something flashed in his near-impenetrable mask that I didn't quite understand, like he was looking for something. I slowly raised an eyebrow at him.

"I look like I didn't get dressed in the dark this morning. Unlike some I could mention." retorted Mustang, finally.

I snarled and went back to looking down at my book and sulking, in the hopes the he would just drop it and go away. Of course, things never work out the way I want them to.

He sauntered behind my seat and proceeded to look over my shoulder. "What'cha readin'?" came a purposefully annoying, nasally voice from behind me.

Initially, I thought about telling to mind his own fucking business, but then, all the weight of recent events pushed down on me again, and I suddenly didn't have the energy to carry on an argument.

"Nothing, just…nothing." I said wearily. "Listen, could you not be a total dick to me today?" And then, I added as an afterthought, "Please?"

"Holy cow…Edward Elric using something akin to manners. The sky must be falling."

When I didn't look up, or reply to his 'witty' comments, he sighed and sat down in one of the many chairs cluttering this area.

"What's the matter?" he asked softly.

The tenor of his words made me look up, but years of conditioning led me to my knee-jerk-reaction-answer of "Nothing."

He scrutinized me closely for a moment, and then flashed a mischievous grin.

"Did your namesake vampire dazzle you with his sparkling abs, or something?"

"Ok, firstly, Edward Cullen is a fucking pixie wanabee, not a vampire, and secondly, there is no way he would come anywhere near me if he did exist, because I would tear him to fucking pieces." I said, in a mostly calm manner.

The grin then wobbled, shifted, and morphed into a full-blown smirk. And with that, I couldn't hold the remainder of my composure anymore and let loose a small chuckle.

"Then what has a wondrous creature such as yourself got to worry about?"

"Spare me your sarcasm, oh Lord of All Jackasses."

Mustang just continued to stare, as if waiting for an answer. Was it me, or were awkward silences becoming more common?

I sighed in defeat. "It's nothing really…my brother and I are having a fight, that's all."

"I see." He hunched over a bit and put his elbows on his knees and put his fingers together in front of his face in such a way that it made him look like he actually cared about my personal life. "Sibling rivalry?" he guessed.

"No, just…he doesn't like that I have to work all the time, I guess."

"Oh…so he wants to spend more time with you?"

"Huh?" I asked stupidly.

"Your brother. He doesn't like that you have to work because he wants to spend more time with you. Right?"

"Oh, I-I guess so…"

'_So that's what Winry was talking about…why didn't I see that before?' _I said internally.

"Well…what are you going to do about it?" asked Mustangs voice, shaking me into the present once more.

"I don't know, Mustang!" I flushed, realizing that an exasperated outburst was not a good thing when one was in a library. I continued on in a harsh whisper, "I don't have any choice in the matter. I _have_ to work. Not all of us are made of money."

The god of womanizing looked at me a moment longer, then got up to leave.

"Well, I certainly hope that this situation works itself out. We here at Amestris High like all of our students to be happy both at school, and outside of it."

"Don't give me that crap, you patronizing bastard!" I growled, perhaps just a little too loud. But really, it was his fault. He was the one trying to make me see red with his snooty comments. Asshole.

"I didn't mean it like that, Elric. Just…you seem to be really down today. That isn't like you." And with that, he swept away, around a corner, disappearing from sight.

'_...Ok, what the hell just happened? Was…Was he being __**nice**__? Maybe I should skip work today and start preparing for the apocalypse…'_

**~OxO~**

To My Reviewers:

_~Ch. 9_

Paon- The 'ok-ness' shall continue, at least for a while (until they get into a fight, like they always do…*sigh*)

wishfulliving89- Glad you liked it. I tried to make Ch. 9 funny.

Jokerfest- Yay! I love getting new reviewers! I am so happy that you enjoy this story!

shadowX101- Lol. Yeah, I bet the look on Jean's face was priceless!

I'm At My All Time Low- Hehe…poor Roy indeed….mwhahaha!

Rukeya- And I lahv you for all your wonderful support!

Conrii- I bow to your awesomeness for actually taking the time to review…lots of people don't. T.T But you did! You guys always make it worthwhile to continue!

_~ Ch. 10 (the rant)_

Paon- Yes, I was stressed. (Major understatement) I'm sorry for taking it out on you guys ~bows~ I shouldn't have. I'm glad that you understand the appeal of an M rated story that does not revolve around smut. I love all my readers, especially ones that show intelligent opinions. Thanks for sticking with me, even though I was a total bitch. ~huggle~

Jokerfest- Thanks for your support! I'm glad that others see the appeal of a relationship that takes more than 10 seconds to form.

Wicked Winter- Thank you for your kind words…it means a lot to me!

KianaRia- I am glad you find the character's depiction enjoyable. It's that kind of stuff that helps me to keep going.

wishfulliving89- I am glad that you are always so eager to read more.

firedragonmaiden- I'm glad you think it is 'just right'. Honestly, for me, getting the pace down is one of the hardest parts of writing.

Deikuru- MUFFINS!1! ~ohm nom nom~ Thfnk shu! ~gulp~ I was soooooo happy with your review! It made me all warm and fuzzy inside. ~glomp~ Ahem. Anyway…Armstrong is probably my favorite minor character as of right now, so hopefully we will be seeing some more of him. Thanks for letting me vent and being supportive afterward! ~shoves a cupcake at you and runs~

Palette- Glad you found me on here! Pretty easy to know when I update if it tells you, huh?

Shadows of a Girl- Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And I am very glad that your whim paid off! I try really hard to keep my characters from being one-dimensional. It's only because of my beta and my reviewers that I can pull it off though…so thanks to you!

freakgirlXD- So, so, soooo happy that you like the style of this story! I am always worried that it is going too slow, but if you like it, then it's worth the wait!

Wolffin- I'm glad that you like the dose of realism that I have added to the story. Just that lets me know that it is a good idea to continue as I have been!

VersarFfion- I hope they get to jumping each other soon…otherwise Roy is going to kill himself from being so pent up.

XXImakeusmilEXX- I'm so happy that you like my story! ~hugs~


	11. Little Brothers Can Be Scary

**Now Fully Betaed****. I got 180 hits in one day and not one review. So, I will say it the first of many times: _REVIEW! PLEAAAASSSEEE!_ It will make me write faster!  
**

Yeah, onto real notes. A couple of things. Firstly, I love Alphonse. Secondly, I was reading a story and the author has refused to write anymore until they get enough reviews. This brings up two thoughts: One, while I think this is a little immature, I kind of get where they are coming from. Reviews are soul food for authors. They are the very reason we write in the first place. So please, give me reviews. I can promise you that chapters will come out faster if I get a lot of encouragement/feedback/inspiration from you guys. It doesn't have to be long (though extensive reviews are greatly appreciated.) And tell your friends if you think that this story is worth the read. New fans are just as appreciated as old ones. On to thought number two: Obligatory advertising of that damn story so that the author will fucking update. If any of you are NaruSasu fans, (or if you aren't, but you just want to be nice to me) Comment on the last chapter of 'Smile' (found here: **fanfiction**** (dot) net/s/3011644/20/Smile**). For those that are interested, it's a great story and well worth reading from the beginning. ~Sigh~ Ok, enough ranting from me. I think that I will put the 'to my reviewers' section at the bottom again…maybe I will start putting it there all the time. Just seems like less hassle before the chapter starts (even though my author's notes seem to be very long anyway).

My beta pointed out that Roy's actions don't make sense sometimes...and she's right, there is no need for him to go through this much effort, but, he is obsessed with Ed and that makes him act stupid. I didn't think I had to say that, but maybe I do. *shrugs*

BTW…I have been thinking about writing a oneshot of pure smut to see if my skills in bedroom writing are up to par for things that will be happening later in this story. I know I gave you a little taste of what I can do in chapter 3…so, my question is a.) Do you think I should bother taking time out for that and letting this story slide a little for it and b.) will any of you bother to read and review it if I do? **Please comment on this issue.** I don't want to put off any of LTIS if I wont get any feedback regarding this (which means you wont get any smut. In short, if you like that idea, or you are a horndog, you need to tell me that in a review.)

**~OxO~**

I walked out of the library slowly, mulling over this new development.

I had always known that Fullmetal had had a brother, but I had never given it much thought, because I had never seen the two of them in school together. It didn't seem like they were all that close, but perhaps I was wrong.

'_I wonder if there is anything I can do to help…'_

**~OxO~**

On Wednesday I was completely disoriented, and trying not to let it show. My entire schedule had been switched around, thanks to one Edward Elric.

My Chem. II class was now at the end of the day. (I whimpered internally at the thought of having to go without Mr. Bunsen Burner for a few more hours everyday. Hughes was firmly convinced that I was madly in love with that little flame spout and kept asking if we were going to elope. Perhaps I would consider it if Mr. Bunsen Burner was blonde and wore leather pants.) This was to make room for the Teaching Aide time slot that had been moved to right after lunch, and somehow my Trig class had been moved to first thing in the morning (I was not going to pretend to know how scheduling worked.)

'_This is for Edward. Having the worst possible schedule on Earth is all for his peace of mind. It's worth it. It's worth it. It's…worth it?'_

I kept repeating this to myself as I was walking up the familiar hallway at an unfamiliar time, anything to keep me from strangling the first blonde that came into view.

Why did I care this much?

**~After School on Tuesday~**

"_Please_," I begged in a falsely distressed tone. "I want to continue in my Education of younger children, but doing so in the morning is making my performance lax. This isn't the same as a regular class, it is interaction with the future of this country, and that requires a whole new level of concentration and energy."

I shifted my mask some, letting the fat woman behind the desk see some helplessness and smolder in my gaze.

"Taking this into account, after lunch would be the best time for my Government Teaching Aide class. That way, a few freshman will be able to fully partake of anything I have to offer."

"I don't know, Mr. Mustang…such a big change at this time of the year…" she trailed off uncertainly.

I realized that I had already hammed it up so much that taking it a little further wouldn't hurt. This woman wasn't really strong willed anyway. All it would take would be a little push…

I lowered my head and glanced up at her through my eyelashes. "Please. Think of the children."

I was exceedingly proud that I was able to make it out the front doors of the school before bursting into hysterical laughter.

**~Present~**

I still couldn't quite believe that she had bought that.

I found the door to Room 214 and quietly stepped in. I half expected the room to look different at this odd time. But, it wasn't. Same old posters of the Bill of Rights, neon colored breakdowns of how Congress worked and whatnot. I took my spot at the long table in the back of the room, behind all the desks, and dumped all my crap onto it. Mr. Marcoh walked in and spotted me. He waved me over to his big teacher's desk that was supposed to be imposing to incoming freshman.

"Why the sudden change?" he asked.

"Well, I just felt that I should use my last year here to it's fullest potential. This new schedule is better for everyone involved." I lied.

"I see. Well, as long as you are ok with it, it's fine by me. The first period students will miss you."

"Yes. Be sure to tell them hi for me." Obnoxious little twerps. Wouldn't miss them any.

"I will. The atmosphere of this class is much different, so it may take some getting used to."

"Really? How so?" I said in a falsely curious tone.

"Well, this is an advanced class. Same subject material, but we go through it faster, and get more in depth. The students in the class have more…drive for learning."

'_In other words, they aren't sleeping during class.' _I silently supplied.

I nodded just as some other students began to file in. I stayed up by Marcoh's desk, waiting to be introduced once the room was full. I tramped down on the urge to leave that came with every time there were several people in one room. They were just freshman, after all.

I kept an eye out for anyone with blonde hair and golden eyes. I figured the brothers must look something alike. But, as more and more students came in, I wasn't able identify anyone like that in the quick glances that I snuck in. Perhaps he wasn't here today?

Obviously, someone new in the class had merited some attention from the normal students. An older class of sophomores or juniors I would have glanced at me once and then continued on with whatever they were doing. They _knew _who I was, and wouldn't question my presence too much.

But, seeing as these were freshman, they were not aware enough of manners or my title to keep from gawking and 'sneaking' obvious glances at me.

Finally, the last bell rang and the whole class was seated.

Mr. Marcoh motioned for me to move to the front and center of the room.

"Class, I would like to introduce you to someone. Some of you may already be aware that he is the student council president-" Some curious eyebrows raised at that. "-but for this class, he is going to act as teaching aide. He will be with us for the rest of the year, and will help me with class. I would like you all to show him your respect, and please do what he asks of you." He finished abruptly and looked expectantly at me.

"Thank you, Mr. Marcoh. My name is Roy Mustang. I hope we will get along, everyone." I said in a cheery voice. And with a stroke of brilliance I added, "Mr. Marcoh, if you'd like, I'll do roll call today, so I can get more familiar with the students' names."

He nodded kindly and handed me his clip-board of names. I calmly called each one, making sure to look up and take note of each person. It paid to know your surroundings. Finally, I got to a last name I recognized.

"Alphonse Elric?" I asked in the same conversational monotone that I had used for all the other names.

A boy towards the back raised his hand.

"Here."

My first thought was _'No way. They can't be related.'_ But then my time of socially acceptable staring was up and I had to move onto the next name.

When I was done, I nodded once to the class and once to Marcoh and made my way to my seat.

The younger Elric was seated near me, so I took the opportunity to observe him closer as the lesson started.

He had short, brown hair that would probably have highlights more akin to his brother's mane, if he were in the sunlight. He was a little rounder than his brother. Not that he was fat, or out of shape, he just wasn't as buff. He had an open, childlike face (the exact opposite of Edward's) but his eyes held a razor sharp intelligence. It must have been a family trait. His eyes were not the intoxicating gold of the sun, but a glowing blue-grey with faint specks of amber floating in them. They were fascinating in their own way. I decided that 'Elric' and 'inviting' were synonymous.

**~OxO~**

I learned a couple things over the next few days.

One: Hughes had somehow learned of Havoc's little 'incident' last week, and was holding it over his head, causing Jean to be exceedingly nervous, which lead to nervous habits being amplified, which ended in chewed tooth picks all over the Student Council Room floor. I finally got fed up with it and told both of them in very precise wording, that I would tell Hawkeye of Havoc's masturbation mishap and Hughes' malicious manipulation if they didn't stop fucking up my space. Needless to say, the toothpicks disappeared pretty quickly.

Two: Alphonse Elric was much nicer, and more gentle than his brother.

Three: Alphonse Elric was not highly intelligent, like his brother. He was a bloody genius. While Edward was quick thinking and openly brilliant both in his speech and actions, Alphonse was a quiet logic machine. He took every problem in, dissected it and put it back together in a way that worked for him. In Alphonse's case, slow and steady did not only win the race, it completely changed the rules of the race so that he would be the automatic winner without even having to cross the finish line and no one would be able to fault him for it.

He would make for a great politician.

My second day of helping out with the new class (I had settled into my new schedule rather quickly) had been highly interesting. The students were presenting persuasive arguments about what laws they thought should be passed and why.

Naturally, after two minutes, the young Elric boy had everyone convinced. I was busy admiring him and mourning the fact that he was not old enough to be on the Council (I would probably vote him in myself, if he were) when the bell signaling the end of class rang. Everyone began gathering their things and exiting the room, chattering about plans for the weekend, homework, and whatever else.

Alphonse was a little slower to leave than normal. I started on my way out when he called to me.

"Mr. Mustang?" rang out the small voice from behind me.

I turned around. "No need for prefixes. What can I do for you, Alphonse?"

"Um…Have I been doing something wrong?"

I was taken aback at that. I gave voice to my confusion.

"What? Why would you think that?" I asked, genuinely wondering where he had gotten that idea.

"Well…"he hesitated, then continued with his sentence. "It's just that you have been paying a lot of attention to me. Almost like staring. At first I thought you were just getting a feel for the class, but then I noticed that you didn't focus on anyone else like that, so I just assumed…" he trailed off, his earlier gusto now gone.

Well. I hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable, but perhaps I could use this situation to my advantage. This could be the opening that I had been searching for.

"No, Alphonse. You aren't doing anything wrong. I was admiring what were doing right, actually. Your work is absolutely brilliant." I commented, hoping to flatter my way into another topic.

"Oh." He colored a little. "Thanks, then. I'm glad that there isn't anything wrong."

"Well…" It was now or never.

"Actually, there is something wrong."

Something like mortification mixed with minor horror fell upon his features. Honestly, both Elrics were so expressive. It was fun to watch.

"But we don't have much time, or we'll both be late for our next class. This is an odd request, but will you meet me by the cafeteria entrance tomorrow so we can talk about it?" I said, feeling like a creepy old man.

"Uh…" He glanced to the side, uncomfortable with the offer.

"It will only take a couple minutes. Normally, I wouldn't bother, but it is important." I said the last part with conviction, stressing the word 'important'.

That convinced him. "Ok. See you tomorrow." He dashed out of the room without giving me time to respond.

I chuckled and glanced at the clock. Crap.

I followed in suit and ran out of the room, hoping my legs would carry me to my next class fast enough.

**~OxO~**

I waited by the cafeteria doors, resisting the urge to lean against the walls because it wouldn't look good.

Out of nowhere, a burst of sunshine with a crooked smile caught my eye.

"-sure, Jack." He must have spotted me, because he went on to say, "Hey, go on without me. I'll catch up in a minute."

Alphonse trotted over to me, looking very much like a puppy. I inwardly chuckled, trying (and failing) to imagine the older Elric acting in the same manner.

"Hi, Mr. Mustang!" came the cheery greeting.

I internally winced. Normally, I didn't mind formal titles, but coming from Alphonse, 'Mr. Mustang' made me feel older than I was.

"Hello, Alphonse."

"So…" he seemed to stop and think for a moment. He clasped his hands together behind his back and leaned forward a bit, looking very much like a child trying to get out of being in trouble.

"What did you want to talk about?" He finished with a blink of his big, innocent eyes.

Really. I was tempted to continue with the small talk, because this was absolutely adorable. I was fairly sure that he was trying to manipulate me into telling him everything without getting him into trouble. This attempt was pretty impressive, considering that it would have worked, if the subject had been solely about him, and not about his god-like brother.

"Well…how to say it?" I mused aloud.

"It actually has nothing to do with academics." I saw some confusion filter into his expression.

"I wanted to talk with you about your brother."

After that statement, there came a totally unexpected reaction. Initially, his eyes darkened to the color of a stormy sky. This was followed by a furrowing of his brow and the forming of a small frown. He straightened up, drawing himself up to his full height (The top of his head actually reached my eye level. I guess shortness was a 'blessing' of genetics that only the elder had received. ). He gazed straight into my eyes, a mixture of suspicion, sternness, and a much deeper emotion that I couldn't quite put a name to swirling within his own.

"What about him?" he asked. His voice came out flat, but it carried undertones of protectiveness so fierce that it would have made a lesser man cower.

Wow. My initial impression was very wrong, it seemed. The Elric brothers _were_ close, almost scarily so.

"I…" I faltered a bit, knowing that phrasing my thoughts in the wrong way would result in a very upset Alphonse.

"I suppose you could say that he is an acquaintance of mine. He has recently expressed some…discontentment over interactions between the two of you." I said, hoping that my voice carried enough concern to let him know that I was sincere, but not so much as to make him feel that this was an invasion of privacy.

Alphonse's eyes narrowed, and he seemed to mull that over, searching for any hint of harmful intentions. Apparently, whatever he found within that statement was deemed satisfactory, and he deflated a little.

"Yes…well. I hardly see how that is a problem that merits your attention." He said humbly.

"Oh, it is, Alphonse. Firstly, I don't want the brightest freshman I have ever met distracted by private problems and secondly…" I thought it would be best to add in some frank humor here, "It's kind of creepy when your brother is depressed. There are certain emotions that fit on his face well, and dejection isn't one of them."

Alphonse gave a small smile at that, and followed that up with a sigh.

"I can see your point, I guess…but…why do you care? Not to sound rude, but Brother really isn't…" he trailed off, looking away.

"…Someone that I would spend time with?" I finished for him.

He looked at me, his eyes unreadable, and he nodded.

I took a deep breath, and glanced around, making sure no one would be able to hear what I said next.

I leaned toward him a little and lowered my voice, as if I was about to share a big secret (and in a way, I was).

"Be that as it may, I do care. It's clear to me now that you two are close…and even though your brother doesn't exactly…" I paused, looking for the right word, "Fit in, he doesn't deserve to be shunned for his personal obligations. It would be a real shame to let something come between the two of you."

"But-" he began.

"Alphonse." I cut him off. "While his way may not be the best way, he is trying very hard. Even if you don't agree with his choices, or their consequences, you should still support him. He isn't really accepted, and you are one of the only people he has to lean on. In my honest opinion, you shouldn't try to make things harder on him. You are the only one who cares enough to try to make things better for him, after all."

He openly stared for a few seconds, and slowly a smile formed on his face.

"In response to your concern, thank you, I think you are probably right. And in response to your last comment…somehow, I don't think that is as true as it used to be." He said, a knowing gleam in his eyes.

Of course. Leave it to an Elric to latch on to that…

I cleared my throat to cover my embarrassment.

"Yes, well…just don't go spreading that around. It'd be terrible for my reputation if people found out that I think about things other than my hair and politics." I joked.

He laughed light-heartedly.

"Thanks so much for your advice. I think I'll take it."

His stomach grumbled and he flushed a bit.

"Yeah… I'm going to go eat lunch now." He said abashedly.

I nodded with a smile and he turned to walk into the cafeteria. He gave me a grin and a wave over his shoulder.

"Bye, Mr. Mustang-"

"Roy." I said, having no idea why I wanted to be called by my first name by a freshman.

He stopped short for a moment, and then a genuine smile graced his soft features.

"Roy." He said. Then he walked out of my line of sight without giving me time to respond.

Hopefully, that would help ease the tension between the two brothers. And perhaps…I would come out of this with more than I had bargained for. I had a feeling that I had just gained an important ally in my quest to get closer to a certain short blonde.

'_Hmm…maybe I should start talking to Alphonse more often…'_

**~OxO~**

To My Reviewers

**shadowX101**: I like the new attitude that is forming too.

**-HoPeLeSsRoMaNtIc-29-****:** I can't wait for the dating, either. Fluff is always so much fun to write. ^_^

**ayaaaaaaa**: I have written 'moar'. Pleased?

**Rei Kiele**: Holy, shit, I love you. Firstly, yeah. Ed+Piercings=Fangasam, which is why I wrote him that way. And one of my main priorities of this story is staying true to the characters that I initially fell in love with. And, on a side note, I love smut too. Initially, this story was going to be rated 'T', but…I just knew that I would eventually put something naughty in here, so I saved myself the trouble and just started off with an 'M' rating, even though there hasn't been too much smuttyness yet.

**iStoleYourChips**: Haha, 69. You rock. BTW, if you were wondering, I am all for Team Edward. Just not the Edward that sparkles and has freakish hair. I like the Edward with height issues much better. ;)

**thestoryteller**: I know you reviewed chapter one, but I think everyone deserves a response for taking the time to write, and you will get here eventually if you keep reading. Thanks!


	12. Unexpected Friend

Hello everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update! I have been pretty busy lately... Teehee, the end of this chapter is almost trying to be fluff...Anyhoo. Please, comment, it's what keeps us authors going! Thanks for reading! (The To My Reviewers Section is at the bottom.) Currently Unbetaed.

**~0x0~**

'_No! __**NO!'**_

_Everything was completely blank, save for that…thing. Inhuman, monstrous, terrifying. But, it had my mother's voice. _

'_Edward…so cruel. Why didn't you help me? Now I am stuck like this…'_

'_I-I didn't know! There was nothing I could have done!'_

'_Liar. You knew something was wrong; you were just too timid to act on your instincts. If you had done something sooner, maybe your brother wouldn't have gotten into too much trouble.'_

'_I was just a kid! I didn't know what it would do to him…I didn't know he would discover the truth like that…'_

_It smiled, in a sick, gut twisting way. No, no. This wasn't Mom. It was a demon. The biggest of my demons. It wanted to swallow me, we both knew that I couldn't get away. The darkness emanating from it grew and grew until it completely disappeared in shadow. I was terrified and nauseous. I could somehow sense that there was someone behind me, and I turned, trembling, only to find that it was my little brother._

'_Alphonse!'_

_He looked at me in a sad sort of way and all of a sudden, there was a gigantic stone door behind him. It slowly creaked open as Al waved his goodbye, and tendrils of malice shot out, hands snatching up the brightest light in my life and dragging him back, into the abyss._

'_No! You can't take him! Please, don't!'_

_I was running towards him, reaching out my hand, but I didn't seem to get any closer. My chest was heaving, limbs aching, eyes burning, mind being torn asunder-_

**~0X0~**

"Brother! Brother, wake up!"

I gasped, eyes flying open, but not really seeing anything, and sat bolt upright, only to recoil when my head struck something hard.

"Ouch!"

My hand flew to my head, and I looked around in panic, quickly taking in my surroundings, and coming to the dawning realization that I was in my room.

Eventually, my breathing slowed, and I looked over to find my brother leaning over my bed. Judging by the look on his face and the fact that he was briskly rubbing his forehead, I assumed that his head was the reason that I was going to have a bruise now.

"If you are going to freak out like that, at least warn me first." He said, still looking slightly disgruntled.

"R-right. Sorry."

He looked at me, and removed the hand from his forehead, and I noticed that he would also be sporting a bump on his head. His eyes roamed up and down, like he was appraising me.

"…Bad dream?"

I sighed, and nodded, not bothering to verbalize the obvious.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head, swallowing thickly.

"Okay. Just…don't feel like you can't talk to me about it."

I just gave him a blank look, wondering why he was offering his therapeutic skills to me when he had barely spoken to me in a week.

Al closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Look. I'm sorry. I haven't been very understanding lately and I must have seemed like a total jerk. So…yeah. Forgive me?"

I was flabbergasted. I had thought that I wasn't going to get back into his good graces any time soon, but I guess I was wrong.

"Y-Yeah. Sure, Al. I wasn't mad at you for it anyway."

"Thanks." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, uh…what brought that on? Just trying to cheer me up?"

Even in the dark, I could see that he became a little flustered at that.

"Well…a _friend_-" he put an odd inflection on this word, "-told me that I should probably just make up with you and get it over with." He said, looking anywhere but my face.

My brother had very few things that he was exceedingly bad at. Lying, either in totality or by omission, was one of those things.

"…and what friend was this?"

'_Please, don't let it be a girlfriend. I couldn't stand giving him up to some stranger so soon…'_

Al hung his head and huffed out a sigh.

"Look brother…I don't know if I should tell you. You might get embarrassed. And you KNOW how you are when you're embarrassed."

"Oh, now I definitely want to know. Who have you been talking to?"

He looked at me, his eyes glowing in what little light there was.

"…Roy Mustang."

My head snapped up and my jaw hit my pillow.

"I'm sorry, did you just say what I think you said?" I asked, bewilderment evident in my voice.

I couldn't see it too well, but I swear he smirked at my reaction, before covering it up with: "Well, yeah. He worries you know."

I flushed with mortification. "Worries? About me?" my voice broke on the last word.

'_Why the hell would that womanizing prick worry about me? Wait…THAT WOMANIZING PRICK TALKED TO MY BABY BROTHER!'_

My revelation must have been evident on my face, because Alphonse began waving his hands frantically, trying to calm me down.

"Don't worry about it Ed! No big deal, really! He just transferred into my government class, and mentioned talking to you, is all! He was really nice, he complimented me and everything!"

'_Transferred…nice…complimented…'_

Al babbled on, oblivious to the fact that his attempts to pacify me weren't helping my mindset. "He even went out of his way to talk to me at lunch and convince me to make up with you. He really cares about-"

'_What…the…fuck…'_

"**That bastard hit on you and you let him get away with it!" **came the unearthly scream from my lips.

"…huh?"

**~0x0~**

The next Monday, I had only one thing on my mind.

The death of one Roy Mustang.

All weekend Al had tried to convince me that Prickface Numero Uno had not made advances toward him, but I knew better. No one just magically appears in a different class halfway through a semester and starts solving family problems of random freshman. There HAD to be ulterior motives involved.

"Oh, Mustang, I'm on to you…just wait until I get my hands around your slimy little neck, you sonuva…"

I muttered to myself in this manner until I reached the student council room. The council always met after school on Mondays for a few minutes, and left their bigger powwows for later in the week. I had already told Winry to wait outside for a few minutes while I confronted the scourge of virginity.

I knocked on the door, knowing full well that I was interrupting, and not caring one bit.

A scrawny little guy in glasses that I vaguely recognized, but could not put a name to answered the door,

"I'm sorry, but we are in a meeting right, now, could you come ba-"

"MUSTANG. OUTSIDE. **NOW**." I bellowed.

The dweeb in front of me squeaked, and the room went silent. I heard someone take an audible breath from outside my range of vision and a few whispers were passed back and forth before Mustang appeared behind timid four-eyes and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, Fuery. This won't take too long."

'Fuery' nodded and backed up, holding the door for the Student Council President, and closed it behind him.

When we were alone, Mustang opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip off your balls and stuff your lungs with them."

"I-what?" he said, stunned.

"You. Hit. On. Alphonse. What gives you the right! Don't you dare touch my little brother, you rat bastard!"

He just blinked, and slowly shook his head.

"I'm sorry, there seems to be some sort of misund-"

"What misunderstanding? You transfer into his class in the middle of the fucking semester and randomly start telling him how great he is and solving his problems, butting into his life, telling him how TALL he is—"

"EDWARD." He interrupted me, leaving me panting and glaring. "Firstly, half of that is not true, secondly, I transferred into that class because I could not stand the kids in the morning class and it was making my performance lax. And thirdly, the only reason I talked to him about anything was because you told me that the two of you were in a fight."

"…Why would you care about us fighting?" I asked, suspicion lacing my tone.

"Look. I know that you are not exactly accepted here at our school and that you are the antithesis of what I should be looking out for, but I don't care about that. Your admission the other day concerned me. Being depressed isn't like you, and I tried to help, okay? I'm sorry that this upset you, but I really was just looking out for your best interests, and for Alphonse's."

With every word he spoke, I just became more and more confused. It almost sounded like he really cared, but…"Why?"

He exhaled tiredly. "Edward. I know that you think you are a loner, but I'd really like it if that weren't the case. You are far too bright to be wasting your time in solitude and, despite your outward appearance, I know you are not a bad person. What is wrong with trying to reach out a little?"

I was beyond astounded.

'_Did…did Roy Mustang just…say that he wanted to be my friend?'_

He scoffed, and rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah, don't sound so excited about it."

Apparently, I had said my thoughts aloud without even realizing it.

"I…I just…I don't know what to say." I mumbled, still too rattled to reply with anything but honesty.

"How about 'see you tomorrow'?" he said with what looked to be a genuine smile.

'_Well…as long as he is not after Al…I can't see any reason not to…"_

"Okay. See you tomorrow…Bastard."

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

Wicked Winter-Hehe...yeah, Roy tends to go a little overboard, but he is still really sweet.

moonstar the dragonwolf-Thanks!

littleleanna-I am glad that you appreciate the fact that I try to keep my characters close to the originals.


	13. Fantasizing Failure

Guh. This one just did not want to get done...I have had it for a while now, but my beta has not responded yet, so I decided to go ahead and post, and upload the betaed version later. ^_^ BTW, **for those who are wondering when Roy and Ed will get together, **I have good news. Two more chapters. Chapter 15 has been deemed the start of their 'relationship'. **Also, slight smut warning for this chapter.** As usual, 'To My Reviewers' is at the bottom. Enjoy, and **please review, it's what makes me update faster!**

And for those of you that don't know, Foamy is a squirrel. Look him up on youtube, but not in a place with racially sensitive ears or if you have an aversion to heavy profanity. ^_^

**~0x0~**

"_Roy…please. I need you."_

_I swallowed thickly, trying not to let my nervousness show through. _

"_Got it. I'll take care of you. Just leave everything to me…"_

_I climbed onto the bed, where my nude angel awaited my touch. _

_All of a sudden, my clothes were off too. I didn't know how, nor did I care._

_I finally- FINALLY- took Edward into my arms and held him close. For so long I had waited for this…and now, after all this time, he was mine._

_I laid kisses all about his well built frame, starting from the top of his head and working my way down. I took a pause in my journey to capture his lips_

_They were warm and soft, perfect in almost every way. I could feel his little panting breaths puffing out onto my face. He smelled like summertime. I nipped lightly at his bottom lip, a silent plea for entry. With a little quivering sigh he complied, opening his mouth for me to explore. My tongue answered the invitation and dove right in to meet its new playmate. _

_God he tasted good._

_After a few minutes of this, I pulled away, breathless._

"_Mmm…"_

_I continued working my way down his body, savoring each grunt and moan he released. I especially appreciated the sharp gasp that reached my ears when I bit his neck._

_Upon reaching his chest I decided that his nipples needed me to comfort them. I laved at the little rise of flesh, laughing when I felt the nub harden from my ministrations. Moving further down, I reached the culmination of my quest._

_I gazed at my soon-to-be-lover's raging hard-on with amusement. _

"_Ah…please, Roy. PLEASE. I-I can't—"_

"_Shh..I understand. Let me satisfy you, ok?"_

_I hesitated a moment. I had never done this before, after all. But, my insecurity quickly gave way to the need to make Edward feel alive. I pressed the tip of my tongue to Edward's hard cock, and I felt more than heard him heave in a quick breath._

_My tongue ran up and down his length a few times and I was surprised at the lack of a bad taste. Encouraged by this, I moved to take him fully into my mouth. _

"_O-Oh….GOD, Roy, I…"_

_I chuckled around his length, earning yet another squeak of appreciation. Tentatively, I sucked, gaining speed and confidence as time went on. For a while, all I was aware of was the warm sense of bliss that had washed over me, and the cute mewling sounds Edward made. I didn't really know how much time had passed, but after a little while, I felt a soft hand touch my head. I glanced up, seeing that my angel was gazing down at me, an expectant flush resting on his cheeks. _

"_I'm…I want…"_

_I released him from my mouth's hold and wiped my lips with the back of my hand._

"_Yes?"_

"_I want you." Whispered the gorgeous blonde. _

_I simply looked into his eyes for a moment, distantly realizing that my earlier nerves were completely gone. Yet again, his eyes pulled me in, like an amber tide washing a bottle out to sea. I was completely and utterly lost in his eyes. So bright, so __**alive**__._

_Slowly, I crawled up his body, and pulled him into a deep, sensual kiss. For a few moments, all I concentrated on was moving my lips over his._

_As I broke the contact, I turned his chin up a bit, so he was looking directly at me._

"_Are you ready, my angel?"_

_His blush deepened, and he simply nodded. _

_I traced the planes of his body with one hand, moving lower, reaching around to his entrance. Somehow, my fingers were already slick enough to provide more than enough lubrication. Gently, I pushed in one finger, slid the digit in and out, knuckle by knuckle. I added a second, searching Edward's face for any sign of discomfort. There was none. Only a heady blush and a glazed look in his eyes that told me I couldn't put it off much longer. _

_I removed my hand, smirking when he whimpered. Spreading his legs, I moved to position my near-painful arousal against him. _

_One last time, I looked him in the eye, silently asking if this is really what he wanted. His response was to put his hands on my chest and hug his knees to my sides, pulling me in closer._

_My breath held, I pushed. Just a bit at first, and then with more force, breaking through the ring of muscle and slipping into a wondrous wet heat. I steadily drove in deeper, until I was fully sheathed within my blonde beauty, and then paused to let him catch his breath. We were both panting by now, the tension beginning to strain our muscles._

"_Finally. We're one." He breathed out. His hands grabbed my forearms and pulled me down, so my chest lay flush against his. _

_I took this as a sign to continue and shifted a bit, noting the slight sounds he made every time I moved. My hips drew themselves back, and pushed forward again, once, twice, three times, the pleasure working me into a delirious tizzy. _

_Faster, faster I went, my body moving on its own. He was so tight, so warm, so perfect. I needed more. _

_By then, I was slamming into him, my breath coming in short little gasps. Edward was mumbling incoherently, his head tossed back in ecstasy, golden locks splayed over his face and my pillow. Everything was tightening, coiling itself within the center of my body, winding up more and more. I held Edward's body close to my own, both of us seeking that final point of release. _

"_Ah….E-Edward. SO…close." _

_Our cries came more urgently, our bodies moved in tandem, and suddenly the pressure on my member increased tenfold. _

"_Ahg….Uhm..ra….ROY!" my name spilled wantonly from his lips as he came._

_The feeling of him tightening around me without warning drew me over the edge too. And with my final breath, my last conscious thought before stars exploded before my eyes and my vision whited out, I screamed my completion in the form of his name._

**~x~**

"Edward!"

I jolted awake, gasping, and shaking. In vain, I tried to pull my head from its endorphin-swamped fog, dragging in massive amounts of air. Eventually, I calmed down enough to think straight. I looked about myself. It was still pretty dark outside my window. My sheets were tangled up with my legs, the comforter completely thrown off the bed from my thrashing. My pajamas were in disarray and I was hot and sticky…

Wait…

Sticky?

I looked down, and was thankful for the cover of darkness that hid my blush. I must have turned about the color of an angry tomato. My loose drawstring pants now sported a lovely dark, wet spot right in the crotch.

Unfortunately, I was going to have to wash these myself so no one else would see and take a shower before the suspicious white substance dried. On the bright side, I wouldn't have to jack off while bathing, since Mr. Sandman had seen fit to take care of that for me.

Wet dreams sucked ass.

**~0x0~**

I went downstairs, still mortified at my earlier predicament. As usual, my mother was in the Kitchen, busy being her fake little housewife self. Father had already left long ago. No rest for a military man.

"Roy, dear, good morning! Would you like some waffles?" she said cheerily.

I just nodded, and sat down, grabbing the newspaper that was already on the table. My eyes roamed the front page, but didn't really take anything in, my mind being on other things. My waffles were set in front of me, and after a "Thank you, Mother," I began to dig in.

All morning, I had been thinking about the implication of my dream. I had never had a dream of him that vivid before. It must have been because we had become friends.

'_Friends…we are friends now.' _I thought to myself, smiling a little.

I felt strangely warm at that thought. Smiling, I finished up my breakfast and went off to school. Upon arrival, I smirked at the juniors who had to park over in east bumble and the younger students who had to take the bus. I had a parking spot in the teacher's lot because of my status. Not to brag, but being Roy Mustang was pretty awesome sometimes.

Sauntering up, through the doors and down the hallways, I smiled and nodded to those I knew. I totally zoned out in Trig, my English IV class was less than exciting, and my Advanced Political Sciences class had a sub, and therefore a movie day (What the hell does politics have to do with The Muppets?). So far, it had been a normal, boring day. The blandness of it all pulled at my feet, and hazed over my mind. I walked to lunch in this manner, not really paying attention to what was going on around me.

Naturally, the one time I was zoned out was the one time someone decided to get in my way. I bumped into someone, their head hitting my lower chest.

'_Damn freshman…can't they tell that I am trying to think?'_

I looked down and opened my mouth, ready to spout out a false apology and sprint away, but the words died in my throat.

'_Well…I guess I am not bored anymore.'_

Edward Elric stood, rubbing his head, and glaring at me.

"Watch where you're going, Mustang." Spat the blond.

"S-Sorry, Edward." Came the dazed reply.

This morning's escapade came back to me in a rush, and I had to do my best to keep the heat from pooling in my cheeks.

He looked at me suspiciously.

"What's wrong, Bastard? You look like someone kicked you in the shin or something."

"Uh…" I shook my head to rid it of wayward thoughts, "Nothing. I'm fine.

He just raised an eyebrow and looked at me like I was stupid.

"I was just…" I fished for a plausible excuse for my negligence, "Thinking about a report I have to do. I was going to the library."

"Oh…well…" He looked towards the cafeteria, as if he was calculating something. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and turned back to me. "I'll go with you."

Did he just…agree to spend time with me? I couldn't have been more ecstatic. I nodded, and altered my course, walking past the cafeteria and towards the library wing. I didn't look back to check if he was following me. I could tell he was from the heavy 'thunk thunk' of steel-toed combat boots. I swear, sometimes it sounded like he had metal legs.

It felt…good. Knowing he was right behind was somehow comforting. However…the stares were not. Everyone we passed turned to look at us. The extra attention made my hatred of crowds rear its ugly head, and I had to steel myself against the faint churning of my stomach.

'_Has…he always been reviled this way?'_

I wondered how he dealt with it.

Coming upon the double doors that separated our gigantic library from the rest of the building, I paused and then stepped aside and pushed one open, waiting for Edward to go first.

He cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Do I look like one of your simpering little girlfriends, Mustang?"

I felt my face heat a little at that.

'_I wouldn't mind if you were my girlfriend Edward…'_

"Are you coming, asshole?"

His words shook away my fantasies, and I turned to see him several paces into the labyrinth of bookshelves.

I simply nodded and followed.

We walked in a fairly comfortable silence for a while, only broken when Edward asked:

"What are you doing your report on?"

"Oh, uh…" Dammit, dammit, dammit, why is it I could lie through my teeth to anyone but **him**? Probably because my mind had the bad tendency of going blank every time he looked at me.

"Don't worry about it." I said, looking away.

There was a pregnant pause before I heard a slight snicker and "You don't really have a project, do you?"

I glanced back at him, an apologetic half-smile on my lips. "Caught me."

"Why would you say otherwise? Aren't all presidents honest, trustworthy people?" he asked, a cocky smirk on his face.

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to answer the second question. "I didn't want to go to lunch and sit with all my other friends today, okay?"

"Other? So the Bastard has deigned to lump me in with all of his other lovely peons. I'm honored."

"The people I normally eat with are not 'peons'. They are soldiers under my command, aligned with my vision of reform and conquest over the old ways of the School Board."

"Did you make that speech yourself, or was it medically implanted in your brain during Bastard Training?"

I blinked. The way he said that sounded like…"Foamy?"

His eye went wide, and a fanatical gleam entered his eyes. "You know Foamy!"

"Foul-mouthed squirrels are my calling, of course."

As I said this, he began to grin, and gestured towards a table.

"Haha, well then. An unexpected common interest to talk about. And I believe I owe you an explanation as to why Edward Cullen is not a real vampire and should set himself on fire."

We talked for quite a while about various things. Vampires, ("I can't believe I share a name with that sparkly fag." Edward had said) squirrels, ("I had joined the Foamy Card Cult, but I lost the card.") and politics ("All politicians suck. End of story."). When I asked him what his favorite kind of music was, he just smiled and told me he would listen to anything that caught his interest.

Finally, we came to the topic of movies.

"What sort of films do you enjoy?" I asked.

"…Seriously? Who talks like that?" He rolled his eyes. "I like any movie that doesn't suck. The only thing I refuse to watch is really corny chick-flicks…they tend to deplete my testosterone levels."

I smirked. "Well, you didn't have much of that to begin with." And quickly I ducked, narrowly avoiding the book that was thrown at my head. However, in the process I banged my chin against the table we are sitting at.

"Serves you right, Bastard. Pay back is a bitch, no?"

But I wasn't listening to him. The pain radiating from my jaw seemed to have jarred something within my head, because at that moment I came to a revelation.

'_This…could be my chance….'_

"Mustang? Are you alright?" Edward asked, a slightly worried look gracing his features.

I snapped my open mouth shut and sat up, embarrassed at having been caught staring into space.

I nodded in response to his question and closed my eyes tight, hoping that focusing on the back of my eyelids rather than his face would help me think.

'_If I can word it right, maybe I can get him to come to the movies with me.' _Unbidden, images of us holding hands in the theater and feeding each other popcorn in the dark came to my mind. _'No. Don't even think about it, Roy. If I tried anything like that, he'd just hit me and I would be back to square one. If he decides to come it will be two (mostly) heterosexual friends going out in a very manly, not dating kind of way.'_

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes to find the same odd half worried, half amused look on his face.

"Yes." I lied. Damn, it stung. "Fine."

"Who knew that Mr. Perfect was a klutz?"

I simply rolled my eyes without replying. Starting up an insult war now wouldn't help me any.

"Say, Edward…"

"Yeah?"

'_Here goes nothing.' _I thought to myself.

"How would you like to see a movie this weekend?"

He just blinked, like he had not totally heard what I said, and I held my breath. One eyebrow rose, and the other soon followed.

"Sure." He said easily, as if it was not a big deal that the Student Council President and the resident gangster were friends.

"It's that easy?" I questioned, a little stunned.

"Yeah. I could use a night out." He said, looking anywhere but my face.

I was sort of surprised that things were going so smoothly, so blandly that one would think this was an everyday occurrence. But, this was monumental for me. A night out. _With Edward._

Things were finally going my way. I could only hope that I wouldn't fuck this one up.

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

LadyAirHead- Edward is adorable, until he punches you in the mouth. XD

AgentSnowex- Thank you! I am always glad to know that people like the way I write!

breaktherules- ^_^ I hope this was a good development for you!

shadowW101- ^_^; Sorry it took so long, but I hope this did ok for you.

wishfulliving89- Here it is! Thanks for sticking with me this far!

Dark- Wow! Thank you very much for your praise! *bows*

Wicked Winter- I am glad you enjoyed it! You are right, that does sound like something Roy would say.

gothss123- Here you go! Did I do well?

Conrii- Your review really made me smile. ^_^ Thanks.


	14. Phone Books and Fuzzy Feelings

Hey. This one came up pretty fast for me, eh? Aren't you proud? XD Anyway. My beta still doesn't have Internet access, so this is unbetaed. If you see any mistakes, be sure to let me know. As always, my Reviews section is at the bottom. Thank you for reading, and please Review!

**HEY! NEXT CHAPTER! KISSING! O.o **As I said, this chapter is mostly dialogue and filler, but a necessary transition. It will be worth it, I promise!

_Also, I have started a _**new RoyxEd story**_. This one will be a bit darker, but I hope it's still good. It is a vampire fic. NOT LIKE TWILIGHT! (Though I don't dislike Twilight, even if the Cullens are really just pixie/fairie things without wings.) Check it out! _**  
**

**~0x0~**

I walked into the house on Thursday, holding my stomach, and wishing that I could just clap my hands and the bruising would go away.

Slowly, quietly, I crept, hoping to not be noticed.

"What's wrong, brat?"

Goddamnit. Why couldn't anything go my way for once?

I turned toward the kitchen, seeing Teacher with a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other.

'_Best to not piss her off. I don't want two beatings in one day. Who walks about wielding a frying pan like a sword anyhow?'_

"Nothing, Teacher. "

She just raised an eyebrow. Obviously, she wasn't falling for my tough act.

"You got beat up again, didn't you?" Worry colored her tone.

I sighed. Did I really look that bad?

She just looked on, obviously waiting for me to explain.

"I just…" I paused, not wanting to give the real reason for my current state, but not wanting to lie. The woman had an uncanny sense for knowing when someone was lying.

"I let my guard down and some as-" I caught myself, quickly stopping the cuss word from coming forth. "-jerk took advantage of that. I would have beat him into next week, but you know someone would have found us and blamed me. I can't afford to get suspended."

Teacher stood still for a long moment, then tossed her frying pan into the air, caught it with her other hand and flipped it backwards-without any hesitation or having to look, I might add-directly onto the front stove burner.

"That sucks. Go wash up for dinner and get your brother. It'll be ready soon."

I simply blinked once, then hauled ass to get upstairs.

I'd take a hundred beatings before I took on a frying pan wielding housewife.

**~0x0~**

We sat at the dinner table, which was in our kitchen. Of course, I'd love to be able to cite a normal reason for the table's placement, like 'Oh, there was a mess in the dining room,' or 'The kitchen is brighter than the dining room,' but no. We have to eat in the kitchen because Teacher had the dining room converted to a martial arts studio.

Today we were having some sort of stir-fry. As usual, we mostly stuffed our faces, pausing only to talk about inane shit that happened that day or asking someone to pass the salt.

While I was eating, I tried to organize my thoughts. I didn't think that my next topic was that big of a deal, but I knew it would raise a few eyebrows.

I put my fork down and awkwardly started talking. I wasn't really used to asking permission for stuff after all. There was never any need.

"So, um…I was thinking…there are no plans for this weekend, right?"

Everyone looked at me like they weren't exactly sure who I was. Then Sig rolled his eyes.

"Just spit it out, boy. You've been in this household long enough to know beating around the bush won't gain you anything." He said.

I took a deep breath.

'_Why am I acting like such a pussy? I am allowed to hang out with friends just like everyone else. Just never had the time or the right people to do it with before.'_

I looked at Teacher.

"I have a friend-"

"Wait. You? Friends?" she interrupted.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Anyway. My friend and I want to go catch a movie on Saturday."

Again, there came a pregnant pause, as if they were wondering when the aliens had put in my body double.

Then everyone spoke at once.

"About time you got a social life, kid."

"Brother, what movie are you going to see?"

"Who is this mysterious friend of yours, Ed?"

Choosing to focus on the last question, I answered with one of my own:

"Why does it matter?"

"Because you have never claimed anyone to be your 'friend' before. Whoever it is deserves a medal." Teacher drawled.

I shook my head and leveled her with an unamused gaze.

"This isn't that big of a deal."

"Oh come on, Brother. We are just happy for you. Tell me who it is, so I can give them a big hug."

"If you start handing out bodily contact to that self-worshipping bastard, I swear, I'll kill you both." I snapped.

Al raised an amused eyebrow. "So, you are going with Roy, huh?"

"Roy! When did you two get on a first name basis? If that miserable little scum bag has been hitting on you…"

"Brother!" Al flushed. "I already told you, he wasn't flirting with me! He asked me to call him Roy because 'Mr. Mustang' makes him feel old!"

"Ha! He finally realized he acts like a perverted old man, eh?"

"Ed, that is so rude!" You should be more respectful to your upperclassmen."

"Al, that's like asking me to not step on dirt because it is older than me."

"No it isn't, it's-"

"**Shut up, both of you!**" Teacher boomed.

Immediately, we both fell silent, Al looking bashful, me looking a step and a half below pissed.

"Edward," she continued. "You are 16 now. If you want to go out with the guy you have always said is a womanizing bastard, be my guest. Tell him that you will be stopping someplace to eat, so I don't have to cook for you. Also, be sure to get a ride, 'cause I'm not driving you there." And then she went back to eating as if we had never had the conversation.

**~0x0~**

The next day found me feeling very weird.

I didn't see hide nor hair of Mustang all day. To make it worse, Al kept grinning and winking at me, like we were sharing some sort of secret, and Noa wouldn't stop telling me how stupid I was.

That night I used the telephone book for the first time in my life and looked up the Student Council President's number.

It was only when it started ringing that I realized that I had zero phone skills.

"Hello, Mustang residence." Chirped a cheery female voice.

I scrambled for words. For some reason, I hadn't expected anyone but The Bastard to answer.

"Hello?" she asked, obviously wondering why that person on the other end of the line was taking so long.

"Uh, yes. Is, um," I struggled to get out his first name because I had never used it before. The word felt awkward on my lips. "Roy home?"

"Yes. May I ask who's calling?"

"Oh, I'm…one of his friends from school."

"Oh, okay! Hold on just a moment, dear."

I nodded, even though she couldn't see it and listened as her somewhat distant voice called out into her home.

A couple seconds of silence and a weird shuffling sound later, I heard a familiar voice.

"Havoc, I'm telling you I don't _know _who she is-"

I cut him off. "I don't spew my sperm in school libraries, thank you very much."

"…Ed…ward?" I couldn't tell for sure over the phone, but he sounded stunned.

"Yeah."

"How…how did you get this number?"

"Uh, the phone book. We never set up any solid plans for tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh…yes…ah, sorry. I have just been really busy with work lately. But, I do have this Saturday off, so no problem. When do you want to meet?"

"Uh…yeah…the thing about that is…I can't drive, and Teacher won't waste effort on frivolities, so…I don't have a ride."

"Oh, um. Well, I could drive you, if you'd like?"

"Really? That'd be cool, I guess…"

"Okay…and what time would you like to go?"

"Well, Teacher also said that if I was going out, she wouldn't cook for me, so we should probably go around dinner time…I get pretty pissy when I'm hungry."

"…This teacher of yours is a brave woman, huh?"

"You have no idea." I deadpanned.

"Okay. I'd hate to let you starve to death. Give me your address?"

I gave it to him, after a moment of hesitation.

"Alright, I'll pick you up around 6:00? What do you want to see?"

"I have no idea what is out right now, so we can figure it out when we get there."

"Okay." He chuckled. "See you then."

"Yeah, okay. Bye."

I hung up, feeling oddly warm. I couldn't quite identify the emotion within me, but it felt like a cross between butterflies, nausea, and an oddly high-strung happiness.

I wasn't entirely sure if I liked it or not.

**~0x0~**

_Edward Says: **TAKE FIVE FUCKING SECONDS OUT OF YOUR DAY TO GIVE THIS POOR AUTHOR A REVIEW, DAMMIT! OTHERWISE YOU WILL GET A HALF-TON OF AUTOMAIL UPSIDE YOUR UNGRATEFUL HEAD!**_**  
**

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

Rukeya- Ze plot thickens moar. XD

Conrii- Foamy is a talking Squirrel. I am glad I made you laugh.

shadowX101- Tizzy is a good word, isn't it? Lol.

DrawerDiary- Here is the next one! I am soooo happy you decided to read! I love getting new readers!

Shane- I am glad you liked it!

Wicked Winter- You are probably right. I wouldn't want to take a book to the face either.

Rei Kiele- OMG~! I LOVE long reviews! *hugs* I am glad you liked it so much!

Thank you for Reading and please review!


	15. Not So Perfect

Meh. I don't know if I like how this one turned out…it feels choppy. But I think I will wait for your comments and my beta (Who is still away) before making lots of changes. I think Ed may have gotten a little OOC…but not too bad I hope. This one is pretty long for me, at least. So, yeah. If you see any mistakes, let me know.

I must speak like Captain Kirk or something, because I use a LOT of commas. XD Anyway, I have noticed a distinct lack of Armstrong in this fic, so I am thinking of introducing Edward to him soon.

Anyhow...here we go. The turning point of the story. I hope it's okay. ~crosses fingers~

Oh! And thanks for over 100 reviews! I really appreciate it guys!

**~0x0~**

I was excited. Unbearably, unbelievably excited. I felt like a little kid again.

'_I am going to the movies with Edward.'_

Internally, I kept reminding myself that this was _not_ a date, but my elation would not be dampened by the reality of the situation.

"Mother, I'm leaving!" I shouted over my shoulder as I walked toward the front door.

"Goodbye, dear. Have a nice time." Came the response.

I grabbed my blue windbreaker and my keys and exited my house, jogging to my car. It was a little chilly tonight. I hoped Edward had dressed warmly enough.

After getting in, I turned the key and listened to the engine rev. The radio blared to life and I pulled out of the driveway. I found myself humming along with Journey's _'Open Arms'_, but after a few lines, I had to change it to something else. If I got to feeling too fuzzy and warm on the inside, I might do something stupid when Edward came into the picture.

I followed the directions that my GPS spouted off to me in that annoying, disembodied computer voice.

Finally, I drove up to the lawn of a home that didn't look like it could belong to a gangster. It had white siding and simple accents. It looked like it could comfortably hold a small family. The front lawn was trimmed and still green, despite the cold. All in all, a very nice house.

I contemplated leaving the engine running as I got out, but decided against it and took the keys with me to the door.

After two firm knocks and a couple seconds of silence, the door opened.

A woman stood before me. She was shorter than me, with an average build, an average shirt and pants, and had something like dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail hanging from the back of her head. Despite the overall blandness of her appearance, I was immediately wary. She radiated 'Don't Mess With Me' vibes.

"Uh, is Edward here?"

She looked me up and down for a moment, leaving me feeling very naked, like there was no secret that she couldn't uncover.

Finally, she spoke. "Yeah, he's here. EDWARD!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming! Jeez!"

And there, in a perfectly ordinary setting, an angel chose to descend.

Edward walked up behind the woman and swiftly stepped in front of her. His hair was not in a braid, but a ponytail, pulled high on his head. His shirt was black (big surprise) with red tribal markings all over it. He wore faded black jeans that were tattered at the edges. He had a black leather jacket on, the kind that the wearer would beat the shit out of someone in a back alley in. His piercings caught the light of the setting sun and seemed to glow. Again, his eyes drew me in, although this time it was a little different. Inside their depths I saw something like happiness. The idea that I may have had something to do with that made something inside me swell.

There was only one flaw that I could see on him.

Bruises.

He normally looked rough around the edges, but this was just too much. He had one on his cheek, another on his eye, one peeking out from under the sleeve of his jacket, and by the looks of it, I was fairly sure that there were several I couldn't see.

It caught me off guard for a moment. I couldn't speak, partially due to shock, and partially due to red-hot rage.

'_Who dares to touch him? If I ever meet them, they will wish I was kind enough to kill them.'_

Finally, I regained my voice.

"H-Hey, Edward. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. See you later, Teacher." And with that, bounded toward my car. I ignored the muted outburst about 'fancy fucking cars' and turned to the lady in the doorway.

"Thank you, M'aam. I'll take good care of him."

The woman turned to me, cocked an eyebrow, and slid a knowing smirk onto her face.

"Yeah, I bet you will."

I was happy that the red light from the sunset would help hide my blush.

**~0x0~**

While I was driving to the theater, I couldn't help sneaking glances at Edward, both to make sure that this wasn't a dream and to glower at the bruises that marred his countenance.

"Dude, what?" He suddenly snapped

"Huh?"

"You keep glaring at me, and you are strangling the steering wheel. You mad at me, or something?"

I briefly looked down at my hands before focusing on the road once again. He was right. I was gripping it so hard that my knuckles had turned white. I made an effort to slowly relax my fingers.

"Sorry, it's not you, just…those bruises." I gritted out, my eyes still on the road.

"Oh…" He sounded surprised, as if he hadn't remembered they were there.

"It's not a big deal," he continued after a moment. "Just some marks."

"It is a big deal to me. I can't stand it when others hurt people that are close to me."

He was silent for a few minutes, long enough that I thought he wasn't going to respond.

"You shouldn't worry about it. I'm not worth worrying about." Came the quiet reply.

"Yes you are. Anyone who tells you otherwise is dumb as a box of rocks. Don't believe it for a minute."

Again, he did not speak for a moment, as if thinking very hard about what he would say.

"I…I didn't want to tell anyone why I got them, but I am kinda surprised nobody has figured it out."

"Why?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious? I mean…I am in a gang."

Well. There was a revelation. Immediately, images of gang wars and drug busts filled my mind, but I pushed them way. If anything like that had happened, he would have been in a hospital bed or a jail cell.

"No, I guess it isn't obvious for those of us that do not understand the inner workings of gang culture."

"Jesus, you sound like a computer sometimes." He huffed out a breath.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Are you going to tell me how you got hurt, or will I have to make something up?"

"Um…I don't really care, I've lived through worse. It's not like I don't want you to know, but I don't want to offend you-holy shit, I sounded like a girl right there. Anyway, like I said before, it isn't a big deal, with my life style this kind of thing is seen as normal, so I don't see why you-"

"Edward. Stop babbling. If you don't want to tell me, just say so."

The air somehow tensed around us, as if the cabin of the car had been put through a compressor.

"I got beat up." He said.

"Yeah, I figured out that much on my own, thanks."

I glanced over at him, noting that his head was down, so I couldn't see his face through his bangs.

"I…asked for a day off, so we could catch a movie tonight." He said this as if it was the gravest sin he could think of.

"Ok…so?"

"When you are in a gang, you don't ask for days off. Ever. Otherwise…" He trailed off when the car suddenly lurched forward. We were now going 80 on a 60mph stretch of highway.

"God, what are you doing?"

I disregarded that comment. I was so _mad_. Bad enough that _anyone_ would lay their hands on _my _angel, but that someone in his own group would do it…

"Why the _fuck _would you let them do that to you? Why would you give in to a beating for my sake?"

"…I wanted to go out tonight."

Slowly, I let up on the gas, and once we had reached a safer speed, I looked over at him.

"I've…never had the chance to go out with a friend before. I wanted to. C'mon, don't be angry and let's just have fun?"

I looked forward again and took a deep breath. His confession was brave on his part, and I knew that I shouldn't ruin his night after all he went through to have it.

"Well…thanks, I guess. But don't do it again. Next time, just tell me what your schedule is, and we can work within that."

I looked over at him, and flashed him a smile to let him know I was okay now. He smiled back.

So much for keeping the fuzzy feelings at bay.

**~0x0~**

By the time we got to the theater, it had turned dark. The sky was never totally black, due to the city lights, but it was as close as we ever experienced here.

I parked out in the back lot, where employees normally parked.

"Why are we back here?" Edward asked.

"Hmm? Oh, I have a friend that works this shift. All I have to do is call ahead and I can park back here. He leaves the back door open for me, so I don't have to walk so far."

We walked into a little alley between the theater and the ice cream parlor next to it and located the entrance.

And, just as I had said, the back door was unlocked. We went through, coming in right next to the snack counter.

I looked around as Edward closed the door behind us. There were a lot of people here. Guess that was to be expected on a Saturday night. Finally, I saw who I was looking for at the other end of the counter.

Walking toward him, I called out.

"Hughes!"

My best friend looked up at me and smirked. He turned and proceeded to strike up a conversation, completely ignoring the growing line of hungry moviegoers.

"Hey. I was wondering when you would show up. Who's your date this time?"

From behind me there came a very loud, very awkward cough.

Hughes leaned over and looked around me, trying to locate the sound. I knew he had seen Edward when his eyes grew to about three times their normal size.

"It…isn't a date, Maes." I said.

It was tense for a moment that seemed to last forever. Hughes and I had been friends for so long that we could practically read each other's thoughts. Silently, we had a quick conversation, only conveying our words through eye contact.

I could very easily read the look he sent me: _'What the hell, Roy?'_

I eye-talked back at him. _'Just…go with it, okay?'_

'…_You're crazy. I hope you know that?'_

'_Yes, I know. This is important to me. Can you not make a big deal about it right now?'_

'_Alright. But you owe me a very good explanation later.'_

I swallowed nervously. I knew Hughes wouldn't let me off the hook. I would be spilling my guts one way or another by the end of the week.

He gave one more suspicious look to Edward and I, then straightened up and put his hands on his hips.

"Well. It's good that you are not taking advantage of some girl tonight. In celebration, I'd be happy to fetch you any of the food within my reach."

"That's your job, Hughes. You should be doing that anyway." I pointed out.

"Details, details. Now, what can I do you for?" He said with a jovial smile.

"Didn't know you were that cheap, Maes." I muttered to myself, to quietly for him to hear. But Edward was standing right behind me, and judging by the slight snicker, he not only heard it, but he understood the innuendo as well.

"Ahem. We'll have a medium popcorn, a coke, and whatever he wants." I gestured to the blond behind me. "Also, do you have any movie recommendations? Anything that isn't a chick-flick is acceptable."

**~0x0~**

In the end, we came away with my popcorn and soda, and an armload of food for Edward, a fourth of which was gone by the time we took our seats. The boy could eat enough for a small country.

I set down all the crap I had been forced to carry (My food and three boxes of candy), sat down and looked over to find a very pissy looking Edward.

"You didn't have to pay for it all, you know." He grumped.

"I know I didn't _have _to. But I am a gentleman."

"Seriously, do I look like a girl to you?" he said, just a bit too loud.

"Stop being difficult and enjoy the crappy previews."

We had settled on an action-comedy, starring that one girl and that other guy, but I couldn't really remember most of it by the end.

Once the lights had gone out, and Edward had focused in on the movie, I had focused in on _him_.

Our close proximity was driving me nuts. I kept looking over when I thought he wouldn't notice, and examining him up close.

The light from the screen hit his face, and in the darkness, it made him look like he was glowing. It reflected in his eyes, adding shining prisms to his already bright irises. The odd lighting highlighted the flyaway hairs that one normally couldn't see. I watched, mesmerized, as his face shifted through a range of emotion in response to whatever the actors were doing on screen. Even though I wasn't paying attention to the film, I had a general idea of what was going on from the look on his face. When the mood was tense, the corners of his mouth drew slightly down, and his brow furrowed a bit. When something funny happened, his eyebrows would rise, and he would allow for the occasional low chuckle.

Once, when I glanced at him, I must have done so too fast, because he caught the movement and looked over, right into my eyes.

My breath caught. In his face, I could see genuine enjoyment, and a lack of the usual stress in his eyes. Before he turned back to the screen, one side of his mouth quirked up in a goofy, lopsided smile that left me feeling lightheaded.

Needless to say, by the end of the two-hour movie, I was feeling very hot.

When the lights came back on, I had to tilt my head back and just breathe for a moment to calm myself down. When I felt it was alright to stand, I did so, and hurried to catch up to Edward, who was already half way down the hall and rambling on about whatever points he had thought were interesting.

"-and the plot was a lot more thought out than I thought it would be. Though the action scenes could have used some work. The cinematographer obviously didn't go to the viewing angles 101 lesson."

We passed the snack counter, and I saw Hughes working the end of his shift and waved. He nodded in response and smirked at me. He was going to give me a hell of a time about this tomorrow.

As we exited the building into the cold night, Edward still babbled on about what he liked and disliked about the movie.

"But, honestly, the romance part of it was good." He said.

"Huh?" The word 'romance' coming out of Edward's mouth brought me up short.

"Oh, you know. Most love stories are old things being redone and usually pretty hokey, but this one was believable and original. It probably doesn't seem like it to you, but I can appreciate a love story when it is done well. This one was surprisingly well executed, considering the context."

'_Oh God. No, please, someone, make him stop talking about mushy stuff. There is only so much a mere man such as myself can take. And after being close to him for this long…I might just snap if this goes on any longer.'_

But no. He just kept going.

"I actually believed the evolution of their feelings. There were times that were tough for them, but they made it through because they relied on each other. And at the end, they were happy, but not like that icky riding off into the sunset crap. They were content and excited just to be with each other. That is how love is supposed to be, right?"

_Twang! _

This sound echoed throughout my head as the last thread of my resolve and resistance snapped. Edward had driven me over the edge with talk of what love was like, and rather than fighting back, I just gave in, and accepted whatever consequences that would come along with that.

Without me really telling them to, my hands reached out and grabbed Edward by the shoulders and whirled him around to face me.

"Wha-?" He stuttered, obviously disoriented.

I knew that I was going to regret this. I knew I was going to go home alone, beaten within an inch of my life, and rejected. But, somehow, I felt lighter. With the sudden loss of my inhibitions, there came a sense of freedom and release. Even though what I was about to do terrified me, I felt good that it was finally going to be said.

"Edward, I need to talk to you about something." I said with more conviction than I felt.

"W-what? Can it wait until we get to your car? It's cold out here."

"No. I have to say it now, or I will never be able to."

"Uh…okay. Shoot."

I took a deep breath. Once I said this there was no going back. So, rather than shying away from the precipice of confession, I gathered my wits about me and leaped off the edge, while I still had the courage to do so.

"Edward… I like you."

He just cocked his head to the side, like he didn't understand the language I was speaking.

I shook my head. I had to find the right words that fully conveyed my meaning.

"Listen. I like you. But, it's more than that. The first time I saw you, I was instantly attracted to you. I always have been. But…after getting to know you, it's only gotten worse. I think about you all the time. I can't stand being around you for too long because it hurts, but I crave being near you at the same time. This is absolutely crazy. I have never felt this way about anyone; never pined after something so much before, and I just don't know what to do anymore. But, I don't want to hide it any more. I am tired of holding back. So…I just…needed to tell you."

I took another breath, bracing myself for the worst and looked at him.

He was blushing tomato red, and opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

"I…ah…" he seemed at a loss for words.

Of course rather than make things more awkward, that look on Edward's face just made him all the more endearing. Even though I knew he was going to snap out of it any moment and kill me dead, I still felt really good. So, I tried to reassure him a bit.

"Shh. It's ok. You don't have to worry about a thing, alright?"

He glared at me halfheartedly. "D-Don't talk to me like I'm your woman, Bastard."

'_Ha ha. Just like Edward to continue the verbal jousting rather than continue the conversation…You know what, fuck it. I have already doomed myself, I might as well enjoy this before fate intervenes. '_

"Shut up, shrimp, this is supposed to be romantic." He flared up and began to sputter indignantly, trying to form words to express his rage, but I silenced the inevitable onslaught by pressing my lips against his.

His eyes widened, and for a second he remained completely immobile. Then, the most amazing thing happened. Rather than the expected swift kick to the groin and a beating that would leave my grandchildren sore, Edward-No, ED- closed his eyes, and let out a long shuddering sigh out through his nose.

And then he kissed me back.

His lips were slightly damp, and roughly chapped. As the kiss lingered on, he tried (and failed) to breathe through his mouth, apparently forgetting that I was occupying that space. Ed smelled like motor oil and cheap deodorant. When I nibbled on his bottom lip, he gave a little squeaking sound and stepped on my foot.

We both toppled backward. Me; because I was taken by surprise at the sudden pain, and Ed; because I am bigger than him and he inadvertently got dragged along with me. The two of us crashed down hard-him on his backside and me on my hands and knees- at an awkward angle, but somehow, our lips had managed to stay together. When he gasped in reaction to our fall, I took that opportunity to drive me tongue into his mouth. He grunted at the unfamiliar feeling, and I tensed in case he had a mind to bite the sensitive muscle. But, after a couple seconds he leaned toward me ever so slightly and I took that as an okay to go ahead and explore.

He was very obviously new to this. Rather than reciprocating my movements, he just kept still. He did not make cute mewling sounds-they were more like indecisive snorts. He apparently could not figure out how to keep from drooling. He tasted like Frosted Flakes.

Definitely not the perfect first kiss I had dreamed of. Not a make out session held in a large four-poster bed, but in a dingy alley that smelled vaguely of sewage. No cuteness of inexperience, just the awkward vibe of wanting to do something, but not quite knowing how. In fact, one could go so far as to say he _sucked_ at this.

No, not at all what I had expected.

Somehow, it was better.

**~0x0~**

_Edward says: _**I HAD TO KISS THAT HOT—I MEAN, SLIMY BASTARD FOR THE SAKE OF THIS FIC! IF YOU DON'T REVIEW, I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE BORN! **~huffs off, blushing~

**~0x0~**

To my Reviewers:

shadowX101- I hope you liked this one!

littleleanna- Do you still like where it's going? ;)

xxlivingxdeadxchickxx- Glad you liked it!

iStoleYourChips- OH GOD, NOT THE HOUSEWIVES! ~throws chapter at you and hides~

Conrii- Wow…I can see that you are hungry for smut! XD Hope this little bit will tide you over.

WhenLifeIsLikeTheStars- Was this soon enough? ^_^

black-klepon- Thanks. I try very hard to keep the characters close to the originals.

DrawerDiary- I love Teacher, don't you? XD

Wicked Winter- Yeah…major ouch. Was this good?

Nitgh- Thanks!

The Prophet HaDag- Ed is a shmexy guy. XD


	16. Romance Is A Mystery

Hey you guys. I have been on fire with the updating lately, right? Anyway, not too much to say about this chapter. Enjoy! Oh, and for the obligatory self-advertising, be sure to read my other fics too. Thanks!

**~0x0~**

I woke up on Sunday when Teacher shouted up the stairs that breakfast would be ready soon.

I went about my normal routine, dragging myself out from under my amazingly beautiful and warm blanket and stumbling over to my closet and grabbing whatever my hands landed on first.

Somewhere between getting my pajama bottoms off and getting my jeans on, the memory of the previous night hit me like PMS hits Winry. And I did something totally out of character for me:

I _shrieked._

And I'm not talking a regular scream. The sound that came out of my mouth was exceedingly loud and a higher pitch than someone with a penis should have been able to accomplish.

Almost immediately, I heard heavy footfalls pounding down the hallway. The door was wrenched open so hard that I thought it would be flung off his hinges and Al ran into the room. In the back of my mind, I made a mental note never to get into a fistfight with him. The kid had some strength in those arms of his.

"What! What's wrong?" He shouted, panting. Both Teacher and Sig had made their way to my room as well, only to find me staring dumbly at the door, with my pants only halfway on.

"I kissed Roy Mustang." I whispered into startled silence.

**~0x0~**

Never in my life had I been so insulted or embarrassed. Teacher, stoic, strong, immovable, was currently laughing her ass off. We had all come downstairs after I had properly put my clothes on and we were currently sitting around the breakfast table, and everyone but Sig was completely ignoring their food. Or, in Teacher's case, she was unable to eat because she was laughing too hard.

"You scream like a girl." She said between chuckles.

"I do not."

"More importantly!" Al slammed his hands on the table we were now sitting around.

"I can't believe you kissed him brother! I know he is a nice guy, but think of the reputation he has with women!"

"Did you just call me a woman?"

"No! I'm just saying, you should think before you go around kissing people."

"Not 'people', Alphonse. Guys. He should think before he goes around kissing _guys_." Teacher cut in, turning to me with an odd look in her eyes.

I stayed silent at that. I had been avoiding that so far, suppressing everything. I only vaguely remembered the events after the kiss; dreamy hints of an awkward yet happy ride home and distant goodbyes.

I had never really thought about sexual orientation before. I'd never had the time, or the need. There had never been anyone I had been seriously interested in.

I remembered Al and I having a fight over who would marry Winry when we were kids. Of course, he had won, but back then I had always assumed that's what I would do, because I liked Winry more than I liked all the other girls. Could it have been that I just didn't like _girls_?

I shook my head to clear it of all those thoughts. I didn't exactly know what was going on, but I knew who I could go to and figure it out.

"I'm going to make a phone call. I'll probably go out in a while." I said absentmindedly.

I knew that this was seriously bugging me, because I had left my breakfast untouched.

**~0x0~**

There was only one course of action I could think to take.

If one was wondering about anything having to do with something confusing, one should ask a girl. They always seemed to be an enigma themselves, so surely they could comprehend difficult to understand things.

I only knew one girl who would actually sit down and talk with me about this, but I didn't want to face her alone. So, I got some backup first.

"Nina?" I called out, climbing the spiral stairs in the back of Headquarters.

The old warehouse that we worked out of had a main floor that simply had a bunch of boxes and a few chairs, but it had a second floor as well. This was where people that didn't have a place of their own stayed.

I crested the steps and looked around. It was a lot homier up here. I saw Fletcher sitting on a rug, reading a comic book.

"Hey, Fletch. Do you know where Nina is?"

The little blond boy looked up at me and grinned.

"Probably playing with Barbies in her room."

I shuddered. Barbie was Satan's mistress.

Nodding to him, I headed over to the door with the big ass pink sign on it that read:

**Nina's Pretty Princess Palace!**

I knocked, and desperately tried to smother the half grimace, half smirk that had nested on my face.

The door opened, and a little bundle of yellow and glitter shot out from behind it and clutched at my legs.

"Big Bwother!"

"Hey kiddo." I said as I tried to stay upright. I couldn't tell if she was supposed to be a princess or a fairy, but I was fairly certain that someone must've skinned Big Bird to make the dress she was currently wearing.

"What are you doin' here so earlwy?"

"I was just in the neighborhood, and thought 'Hey, I bet Nina would like to go to the park,' so here I am."

The little girl's eyes sparkled and she gasped.

"Of course, Big Bwother!"

"Alright. But I will have another friend there, so you have to be on your best behavior, ok?" I chuckled, and I was then forced to give the squealing child a piggyback ride.

"Hey." I turned around to find Russell leaning against the wall.

"Bring her back safe, okay?" he said, fondness in his eyes.

I just gave him a firm nod and toted the small girl down the stairs.

**~0x0~**

"Hey Big Bwother?"

"Yeah?" I asked, leaning back and closing my eyes. We had come to the little park that was only a couple blocks from Headquarters. The bench I was currently sitting on was a little uncomfortable, but I didn't mind.

Man, this was a good day for this. There was a bit of a chilly breeze, but the sun was out in full force, and burned most of the winter cold out of the air. Because it was so nice, there were a few people out enjoying the sunshine.

"When is your fwiend coming?"

"She will be here soon. I told her to meet us about this time." I said without opening my eyes.

I heard a familiar rumble of an engine that was probably too old to be safe from the direction of the parking lot.

'_Well. Speak of the devil and she will appear.'_

I enjoyed the relaxed position a couple seconds more, and then I sat up and waved to the new comer.

"Hey, Winry!"

"Hi Ed! You said you needed to talk to me?" She said.

"Uh huh. But, first things first," I gestured to the squirming kid beside me. "This is Nina. Nina, this is my friend Winry."

"Hi!" Nina bounced up and down.

"Ha ha, hello there Nina. I've heard a lot about you from Ed." Winry bent over and petted Nina on the head.

I cut in, before Winry started cooing over her. "Hey, Nina, you should probably go play on the play ground before we have to go."

The little girl grinned like a maniac and scampered off to the little playground a few yards away. I knew it might be a little mean, sending her away when I had brought her here in the first place. But, I just needed her around for confidence, and I didn't really want her to hear the conversation.

Winry watched as Nina ran off and giggled. She took a seat next to me on the bench.

"So, what did you want to talk about? I know it must be important if you called me out here."

"Yeah. Hey, look at me for a minute."

She turned to me, and I simply studied her for a moment. I took in her long eyelashes, and the baby blues that lay underneath. I noted the way her hair attractively framed her face, the way the flaxen tresses fell to the middle of her back. I examined her swooping shoulders, I noticed that when she wore something other than a mechanic's garb, she was really quite pretty, dainty with an underlying strength, and a full bodied figure to boot.

"Ed?"

'_Nope. Nothing. Shit.' _While I would never say it to her face, I had to admit that Winry was good looking. But, even so, I didn't feel anything when I examined her feminine qualities.

"You go to an all-girls school, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Winry, have you ever been attracted to a girl?"

"Uh…no…" She said, looking at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears.

"So, you're straight?" I pressed.

"Yes. Ed, why are you asking all these weird questions?"

I sighed and looked away. "It's just…I've always been certain about that too…but now, I…"

"Ed, what are you saying?"

"You know that Student Council guy I am always complaining about?" I said, meeting her eyes once more. She nodded.

"I kissed him last night."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. So?"

"So…does that make me gay?"

"No. It doesn't make you anything. Honestly, I am more surprised that you voluntarily kissed someone and they are still breathing, than the fact that it was a guy."

I was silent for a while, just watching Nina on the swing set and wondering what the hell I was thinking in that alleyway.

"So," Winry finally said. "Give me all the juicy details. Was he a good kisser?"

I flushed, and scrabbled for words that wouldn't leave me any more embarrassed.

"T-There is no way in hell I am telling you that!" I squeaked. (It was a very manly squeak, of course.)

"Oh, so he was a good kisser. Is he hot? Do you think he is going to ask you out again?"

"For the former, no comment. As to the latter…I don't know. I'm not quite sure how tomorrow is going to go, when I see him at school. I mean…he confessed to me. I-it seemed like he was sincere…but he has the reputation of a playboy. I can't tell if he meant it, or if he just wants to get me in bed."

"Well…has he ever gone out with another guy before?" she asked.

"Not that I know of."

"Then he probably meant it. Coming out to a person you have a crush on is a big deal. If he just needed a quick lay, he could have found a much safer, more feminine bed warmer."

I thought about that for a minute. It made sense…I wouldn't be comfortable with making that kind of declaration. Which also brought up the question…

"How did somebody like him come to like a thug like me?" I wondered aloud.

"I dunno. You will have to ask him that. But I have a feeling there is more to him than meets the eye. Maybe he can see past the tattoos."

I nodded and voiced one last question.

"What if he likes me too much? I have never been in a relationship before…I don't think I'm ready for a swooning guy and newlywed, lovey dovey, 'I'll be with you forever' talk."

Winry just shrugged.

"I don't know, Ed. All you can do is wait and see where this goes. Either shoot him down…or give him a chance."

Well, that didn't give me an answer. How could girls be so knowledgeable and so…not helpful at the same time?

I was starting to see why Mustang might be tired of them.

**~0x0~**

I dragged myself through the door and blinked several times and did my best to focus on the wall clock.

_2:00 a.m._

Shit. I knew work had run late, but I hadn't thought it was _that_ late.

I shook my head and went upstairs, doing my best to keep from making noise, despite the fact that my legs felt like lead. It was kind of Teacher to not question me when I was out so late and waking her would just be rude.

I walked to my room and opened the door, stopping short when I saw what was inside.

A slightly tired looking Alphonse looked up from the book he was reading and gave me a weak smile.

"Hey, Al. What are you doing up?" I asked softly.

"Waiting for you to get home. I wanted to talk to you." He scooted over on my bed and patted the spot next to him.

I smiled and took a seat. Al grabbed my starry blanket and put it around my shoulders and then around his own and leaned into me.

"Rough night?" He asked.

"Yeah." I wouldn't tell him exactly how rough though. There was an unspoken rule in this house: Don't talk about gang activity. It helped us all worry less and let me relax.

"Brother…I am concerned about you." He said.

"Al, I-"

"No, no. Let me finish." He interrupted. "I need to say this. I think that the gang is bad for you. You never get enough sleep and you are involved in dangerous things. I know that you think you have to do it, and I know that I can't stop you. But still. And I think having someone like Roy around to support you is a good thing. It might be a little fast, but I think he is a good guy. I know you don't like letting people get close to you, but don't clam up, alright? I talked to him and…I can tell that he really cares. Don't fall into your knee-jerk reaction of pushing him away."

I just stared at him. Even in the low light, I could see the sincerity that always seemed present in his face. Suddenly, I remembered why I loved him so much. Even though I knew that he didn't want me to date anybody, especially not someone with a reputation. But, he had set that aside in favor of encouraging me to do what he thought was best.

I reached over and pulled him into a big bear hug. "Ok, Al. I will talk to him tomorrow, 'kay?"

He nodded into my shoulder and whispered so low that I almost couldn't hear it.

"I hope you take a shot at being happy, Brother."

**~0x0~**

As I walked through the front door, I felt…weird. Removed. Like, somewhere within me, I knew I was a big bundle of nerves, but I didn't feel nervous. It didn't make sense. In my head, I knew I should be freaking out, but after taking strength from everyone yesterday, my heart was calm.

Today was Monday. My favorite day. I had nothing to do, and nothing to fear.

I went through most of the day without seeing him. I only caught sight of him briefly at lunch. He was staring again, and now that I had a better idea as to _why_ I didn't mind as much. He locked eyes with me, as if trying to communicate a message. But I didn't speak eye-language and I couldn't understand. So, instead, I just gave him a little smile and went to sit with Noa.

After school, I wandered through the hallways. I had already told Winry to go on ahead without me. If I needed to, I could walk home. Once again, I made my way to the Student Council room. But, this time, rather than wanting to murder the president for hitting on my brother, I wanted to talk to him about hitting on me.

'_How can so much change within the course of a week?'_ I wondered.

Rather than banging on the door and howling, like one would probably expect, I leaned against the wall by the door and waited for them to finish. Monday meetings were usually short, so I knew it wouldn't be very long.

Eventually, they did get through, and started to file out. The first guy that came out didn't even notice me until the girl that was talking to him suddenly stopped and stared. Then he turned around and proceeded to place his jaw on the floor. Then out came the glasses kid, who I remembered to be called Furey and a dude that looked like he was going prematurely grey. They were followed by crazy movie snacks guy. Finally, Masturbation Maniac Havoc exited the room with a "What is everybody staring at?" and when he saw me he went white.

Why was just standing here such a big deal?

I coughed. "Uh, where's Mustang?"

All at once, their heads turned toward the person who was just now walking out of the room, like somebody had made a really big noise or something. It was pretty funny.

"Hey, Bastard." I said without looking at him. "You need to train your 'soldiers' to do a little less rubber necking."

"Ah, yes, I guess I do. What are you doing here?"

I turned toward him and gestured over my shoulder. "I need to talk to you. Can we go someplace where your Special Needs Force won't hear us?"

He nodded. "Sure. Follow me."

As we walked away, I heard crazy movie guy burst out laughing and giggle something that sounded distinctly like "_I knew it._"

**~0x0~**

We wound up in the library, which I learned was open 3 hours after school let out.

Mustang led me to what seemed to have become our usual corner table.

He sat down stiffly, his face locked into a neutral position. But, beneath the calm and collected façade, I could see that he was nervous.

"So. What did you need to speak with me about?"

"Dude, chill. I'm not gonna eat you."

He sagged in his seat a little and for the first time, I noticed slight dark circles under his eyes.

"Sorry. I just…I don't know what to say. Saturday was…awesome. It seemed like we left on good terms, but over the weekend, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and wondering if you were upset."

"It's okay. I did a lot of thinking about it too. And I figured, rather than freaking out and beating you up, or avoiding you like a little girl, I should just talk it over with you. Like an adult."

He gave me a slight smile and motioned for me to continue.

"Well…I talked it over with my surrogate sister and Al, and I came up with a quite few points to cover. Firstly, I don't know if I am gay or not. And honestly, I don't care. Second…I liked the kiss. It seems crazy, but I did."

"I figured that one out when I put my tongue in your mouth and you didn't bite it off."

I ignored him and continued, wanting to get this all out before I ran out of steam.

"Next, I have never been in a relationship before, and I don't know how to handle one, nor do I think I am entirely ready for what you want. But…I'm not opposed to the idea."

Mustang immediately brightened and perked up like a puppy being offered a treat.

"Then you will go out with me?"

"Yes. I don't know how serious I am willing to be…but we can try it."

His mask finally fell completely away and something like euphoria settled onto his face. I wanted to laugh, but I knew that there were still some things that I needed to go over before we started flinging insults back and forth.

"Listen, stay with me, Mustang." He straightened and focused in on me again.

"Secondly, we keep this and the gang separate. I have to work, and there is no way around it. I don't give a fuck about 'coming out' or whatever; I don't give a damn about what people think. But, we will not be a lovey-dovey couple where the boyfriend comes to give me a ride all the time. You _will_ stay out of that part of my life, both for your safety and my sanity." I waited to make sure he understood before I continued.

"Finally…Al comes first. Over everything, always. I don't care what you are doing, what plans I have to break, hell, I don't care you're _dying_, if my brother needs me, I will be there for him, no matter what."

He nodded. "All of those things are completely understandable, and I will do my best to adhere to them. However, I do have a question."

I cocked my head to show I was listening.

"You said you didn't care about coming out…does that mean you want to be public? Normally, I wouldn't care, but we both have a reputation to consider. You and I…would not be well received."

"Mustang, I am already not well received. Whether or not you want to date publicly is up to you."

He steepled his fingers and put on his business face. "I think it would be best if we kept it under wraps. Not only would we be socially ostracized, but…my family would not be very happy with me if they found out. "

"They would care about you dating me, but they don't care about you fucking around with every female in the city?"

He furrowed his brow. "I don't 'fuck around'. I just like sampling all that the world has to offer."

"If you do that while we are together, you will be sampling your own genitals."

He smirked. "Of course. And by the way, Ed…call me Roy."

For some odd reason, that made me blush.

He only grinned wider. "Come on. Say it."

"R-Roy." I whispered.

"Good boy. Now, here is your treat." He pulled me in and started kissing my brains out.

I would smack him for treating me like a dog…after he was finished doing that thing with his tongue.

**~0x0~**

And now, for our newest segment, Friendly Advice From Your Neighborhood Alchemists.

_Armstrong Says: _**I IMPLORE YOU, YOU MUST REVIEW THIS WORK. **I myself come from a long an distinguished line of authors and understand just how important reviews can be. Why let me demonstrate the Armstrong prose technique, which has been on my family for generations…

_Kimba Says: _Oh God, guys, do what he says or he will NEVER shut up! ~runs away~

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

Black-Masquerade – Killjoy- ….'shidoodles' is now my favorite word. Thanks for your review!

black-kelpon-Thanks! I hope their relationship turns out well.

Conrii-It is uncoordinated, isn't it?

shadowX101- Glad you liked it!

xxlivingxdeadxchickxx-I am happy you thought it was good.

littleleanna-Yeah…but being a little awkward sometimes is alright. ^_^

Wicked Winter-Meh…I had to make that transition somehow…ooc-ness was the only short way to do it….I am glad you put up with it this time.

Shane-Yeah, couldn't have him getting freaked now.

DrawerDiary-Yeah, I am going to focus on the people around Roy next chapter. Glad you appreciated the weird kiss. And yeah, Teacher is made of awesome sauce.

Chocochips-I am glad that you like that I keep it realistic.


	17. Syrup and Lesbians

AHHHH! I LOVE YOU AngylLayDying! This chappie is for you! Some of your reviews made me laugh my ass off. ~huggle~

(Here comes the super long AN!)

We are coming to the end of the first part of this fic. Establishing their relationship has not been easy, and addressing all the bumps along the way and working toward the larger plot (yes, there is a larger plot) will not be a walk in the park. But, I would like to thank all my reviewers and readers for sticking with me for this long. Ugghh god, this thing is going to be so long…but that is ok. ^_^ I like it. This story has turned out better than I ever could have hoped.

Also, people need to stop hating on Winry. Yaoi fics have the bad tendency to turn the original female lead into a hateful bitch as a plot device for getting non-cannon characters to hook up. Dear God, stop that. Winry is short tempered, but she loves Ed and Al like family and even had enough room in her heart to forgive Roy for killing her parents in the first anime series. She isn't heartless, just a little irrational. The same goes for every other female that is demonized for the sake of a different pairing. Stop ruining some of my favorite characters please, and certainly don't expect me to do something like that. Jesus.

Also, I have a question. How many guys do you think write fanfiction on here? Can you give me a percent? What gender do you think I am? My friend recently told me that I am too gender anonymous. I simply responded that it didn't matter, but she said that my readers might care because it would make you feel more comfortable with me if I was a girl (since the majority of people in here are female) and that you might be more excited to read things from me if I was a guy because that would be a bit of a novelty. Even though I don't put much stock into that kind of thing, she brings up a valid point. What do you guys think? Does a person's sex affect your perspective on what you are reading? Do you even care about how my penis/vagina affects my storytelling? I just wonder about these things sometimes.

Pretty short chapter, but it is mostly for transitional purposes. And yes, 'Bejesus' is a real word (or as real as any slang term can be). Enjoy and Please Review!

**~0x0~**

'_Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, OH MY GOD, Edward is my boyfriend. Mine! My boyfriend!'_

I desperately tried to silence the fanatic screaming in my head that sounded like a scary fangirl, but the voice just wouldn't shut up, just as the smile would not be wiped off my face.

Edward was my _boyfriend_. We had kissed twice now.

We were currently sneaking to my car. Fortunately, there were not many people around because it was after school, but still. I didn't want anyone to see us and think that we were anything more than acquaintances.

The good news: We made it to my car without being spotted. The bad news: Maes was sitting on the hood.

"Hey, Roy. Hello, Elric. Nice Weather we are having, eh?"

Dammit. I had managed to avoid talking to him so far, but he had anticipated my movements.

"What do you want, Hughes?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you would like to go get some coffee. Of course, Elric can come too." He gestured to us both.

"Listen, not right now, we have to-"

"Fine." I turned to find Ed with a look of determination on his face. "Today's my day off, so why not?" he said.

Well. Looked like I was going to be driving two people around now.

**~0x0~**

Goddammit. Starbucks had never been so awkward.

Hughes was standing behind me, smirking with that look in his eyes that told me he knew everything, and Edward was trying to explain that, no, he didn't want any milk, or milk related products in his latte, just the syrup, stop asking.

"Okay, uhm…would you like whipped cream on that, hun?" asked the absent looking blonde woman.

Edward just regarded her like one would a Martian. "Whipped cream is _pure dairy_."

"Oh…so that's a no, then?"

"Just…just give it to me, it's fine." Ed quickly snatched up the drink from her badly manicured hands and walked exasperatedly to a table (leaving me to pay for his nasty syrup concoction, I might add).

'_No! Ed, come back! Don't leave me alone with this idiot blonde and Lucifer's Informant!'_

But our telepathy obviously wasn't synching up, because he sat down without a second glance towards us. I swallowed.

'_Here it comes…'_

"So." Came the badly masked conversation started from over my shoulder.

I ignored him for a moment and gave a vague order for something hazelnut-y to the cashier, then half turned to my best friend and steeled myself for the coming onslaught.

"What, Hughes?"

"I had a feeling this would happen."

"Look, I don't know wha-"

"Bullshit. I'm five steps ahead of you. Your weirdness about him last year, your constant staring, meeting up with him in the library, coming to the movies together, transferring into his little brother's class. For God's sake, Roy, how much are you going to overreact for a crush?"

I openly gaped at him. "How…how did you know about all of that? I thought I had hidden it well enough…"

"You did. But we have been best friends for nearly all our lives, so I know you better than pretty much anyone. Plus, I am more observant than most. I can tell."

I briefly turned back around and snatched up the coffee that the stupid lady was shaking in my face and tossed some money at her. I shoved the beverage at Maes and dragged him aside, toward the restroom.

"Listen, I need you to keep quiet about this…if my parents-if my _father _hears about this…"

"Yeah, I got it. But, Roy, why are you going out of your way for a sophomore that hangs with the wrong crowd? Isn't that a really big risk for someone who isn't into guys?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter. Because you are right. I'm not into guys. I'm into Ed. I've never been so…caught up in someone in my entire life. He is worth every bit of the risk involved."

Maes' eyes widened and he took a shaky step back…"Roy…that sounds like the brink of the 'L' word…"

"The show about lesbians?" I asked, confused.

He looked at me over the rim of his glasses and sighed. "Never mind. Let's sit down."

We slowly made our way to the table that Ed had selected and took our seats. For a moment, nobody spoke. Ed just stirred his coffee/syrup compound and stared at his feet, while Maes completely ignored the drink that I had been kind enough to buy for him in favor of resting his chin in his hand and staring across the table at the two of us. Finally, the heavy atmosphere got to be a little too much for me and I cleared my throat in the hopes of clearing the air.

Fortunately, Hughes took the hint.

"So…" he looked at my blonde counterpart. "You and the Student Council Prez, huh? Quite ballsy of you."

Ed glanced up at him through his eyelashes.

"Yeah. Listen, if you feel the need to ridicule me or grill Roy on his poor choices in relationship values, then just get it out now, so we won't have to revisit this again."

Hughes' lips twitched as if he was trying to hold in a smile, but then his poker face was immediately back in place.

"While any chance to ridicule my self-involved friend is exceedingly tempting, that isn't what I came here to do. I am just…curious."

I knew that look in Maes' eyes, that look that said he was fishing for something and wouldn't stop until he found whatever it was that he was looking for. I didn't like it one bit.

"I think I understand why Roy is in this…relationship. Why I don't understand is why _you _are. Care to explain?"

Ed lifted his head fully and looked Hughes right in the eyes and held his gaze for several moments, as if he were looking for any dangerous turns this conversation could take. However, even I couldn't read Hughes when he was like this, and Edward was obviously having the same problem. His eyebrows drew together and his lips turned down slightly, forming the cutest, most kissable pout I'd ever seen. Why did he have to be so damn gorgeous? I had to fight off the urge to just take him in my arms, and-

_Bang!_

I bent over and began to furiously rub my freshly bruised shin and glared over at my apparently abusive best friend.

"Why'd you kick me, you ass?"

Hughes just smirked at me. "I saw that glazed look on your face. I had to snap you out of your lust induced haze before you molested your boyfriend right here on the table."

"Get your mind out of the gutter." I muttered.

I stole a quick peek at the blonde beside me and found him blushing bright enough to light up a city block. I sort of felt bad for acting like an idiot and getting him embarrassed, so I caught his eye and flashed an apologetic smile.

"Please put a leash on your libido until we are done chatting, m'kay?" Hughes chuckled, and then turned back to my unsuspecting boyfriend.

"So. I believe we were talking about your reasons for wanting to be close to this idiotic closet pervert?"

"U-Uhm." Ed still looked a little flushed. He shook his head a bit, inadvertently tossing his hair. Somehow, his hair managed to catch the light just right, and it shimmered like liquid gold. His hair was alight, his skin was positively glowing, and his eyes were on fire. How could anybody manage to look that good in this shitty coffee house mood lighting? His lips were moving in a fluid, sensual dance and…wait. Moving? I had to blink several times to bring myself back to reality, and I realized that I had been spacing out while he was speaking.

"-and it just worked out this way. I don't know why, I just…it feels as though it's worth a shot. Plus," Ed glanced over at me, causing my heart to skip a beat. "He may be a Bastard, but he seems sincere. That is more than I can say for most people."

I felt myself smirk a bit at the back-handed compliment.

"Well. If that's the case, I guess I don't have to beat the bejesus out of you now."

Ed raised an eyebrow and looked at Maes like he was crazy. Which he was, but still.

My friend raised his hands in a gesture of mock surrender.

"Hey, it's not that I think I could take you in a fight. But I gotta defend Roy's honor, should the need arise."

"What am I, your daughter?" I asked angrily.

"No. You are not nearly cute enough to be my offspring." Hughes said seriously.

I rolled my eyes and quickly moved to change the subject, before he started breaking out pictures as proof of his claims.

"So, Ed. You said that today is your day off. Do you have a solid schedule that we can work with from now on?"

"Uh, yeah. I work after school every day except on Mondays. I don't have a whole lot of time on other days, though…usually I am busier after sundown."

I caught his hesitation toward the end of his statement and had to hide a wince. Gangs usually were more active at night...But, I chose to ignore this and move on.

"Okay…we will make our plans on Mondays from now on."

From that point on, the conversation was actually quite pleasant (with the exception of all the times I had to field Hughes' attempts to pull out his wallet and start gushing over whatever pictures he happened to have on him). We talked about everything and nothing, but it was fun anyhow. I could tell that Maes was making an effort to understand Ed better and accept us as we were, and for that I was extremely grateful. As for what Ed thought about my overzealous best friend…I could tell that the blonde found him annoying sometimes, but they seemed to be getting along alright, so I took that as a good sign.

Something in my gut told me that the road ahead wouldn't be easy, but it seemed as though both Edward and I had a bit of support from those around us. During our long talk, I felt an odd warm feeling spread throughout my body, as if something somewhere had melted and the remnants of the runoff trickled down my spine and pooled in my stomach.

It felt something like happiness.

**~0x0~**

_Advice from your friendly neighborhood Alchemist:_

_Mustang Says: _I love reviews! They show the loyalty of the reader! They present the unquestioning acceptance of the material in question! Huh…I guess reviews are sort of like dogs, in a way. So, throw this author a bone and review!

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

JacktheMetal- I am so happy that you like the story development!

PurplePython- I am so happy that you like it! Writing a High School AU that doesn't come off as being shallow can be pretty hard…( "Love and hisses"—LOL!)

PrinceDarkLink- The pink sparkles are scary, no? XD

AngylLayDying- I LOVE YOU! Reading all your reviews just made my day.

BlindLove238- If you keep practicing, I promise that your work will get better! And thanks for your kind words!

cynder81- I am glad you like this story…I try to keep it fun. ^_^

black-klepon- I thought him screaming like a little girl was pretty funny too. ^_^

Wicked Winter- Really? You laughed that hard! Well…good! XD

shadowX101- They are adorable, are they not?

Conrii- Yes, Yes he did. XD


	18. Mixed Emotions

Meh. This chapter is a fluffy transition. I think the next one will be more serious…The long awaited tattoo chapter.

Huh…so most of you think I am a girl…interesting. The percentages you gave seemed pretty spot on. I wont tell you either way, maybe keep some of that author mystique going. ;)

Ed seems a little OOC in this chapter, but if you think about it, he is actually very in character...he seems like the type that would mull things over and get jumbled up like that. So cute. ^_^

Also, check out my other fic. The idea for a vampire story that was not immediate romance, juvenile, and dark has possessed me. The second chapter will probably be posted soon…and it is really freaking long by my standards.

Enjoy and Review!

**~0x0~**

I was currently locked safely away in my room, so I would be free to act like a retarded little girl in private. Honestly, my thoughts were so random and jumbled, and getting me nowhere fast.

I sat down at my desk and took out the piece of paper that I had earlier stowed away in my pocket, and read it for the hundredth time.

_Talk to me any time._

I blushed, thinking about the idiotic way I had reacted when had had given it to me, stammering like I was high on crack or something.

"_Here. My cell phone number and email. Call me, alright?" _He'd said, like it was nothing._  
_

Ugh. Before, he only made me mad, but now he made me feel like there was a herd of elephants romping around in my stomach.

The conversation at the coffee house had been strange. I was convinced that Hughes was mentally unstable and was in need of a healthy dose of tranquilizers. Then there was Roy. Jesus, even thinking the name did strange things to me. I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to feel, seeing as I had never dated before. Had that outing counted as a date? Everything was just so mixed up in my head. When Hughes had said something about Roy being a pervert, at first I had wanted to kill him, then I was happy, then embarrassed that I was happy, which made me want to kill something, but not him, because he was my boyfriend. Boyfriend. Oh my god, I had a boyfriend.

I had never, _ever_ acted like this before.

I felt inadequate because I had zero relationship experience, while he had a lot, and I wondered about all sorts of stupid things, thoughts running about at a speed that made my head hurt.

This was all so fucking confusing.

I wanted to call him. But would phoning so soon sound needy? All this second guessing and circular logic was so unbelievably unlike me that I actually got mad.

'_Who gives a fuck what it sounds like? I'll do whatever I want.' _I thought._  
_

I got up before I could think about what I was doing and marched down the hall to the phone. I quickly dialed the number that I had already memorized, gripping the phone harder when I realized that it was pretty pathetic that I already knew it by heart. I was simmering with anger as it rung. I was a member of the State Alchemists, formidable, fearsome, fierce. How dare he reduce me to this?

"_Hello?_"

And just like that, all my gusto left me. All these mood swings were beginning to make me tired.

"Hey…" I said, not really knowing why I had called in the first place.

"_Edward. Are you alright?_" He sounded slightly concerned, so I assumed that my voice had led him to pick up on my foul mood.

"Yeah." came the automatic response.

He was quiet for a moment, and then, "_You know you can talk to me if you need to right?_"

Once again, I was blushing for no frickin' reason and I sighed exasperatedly.

"I'm fine."

"_Alright. Why did you call?_"

"I..." I tried to come up with a good excuse, but my emotionally exhausted mind wasn't working properly. So I shook my head, and decided to go with a partial truth.

"I don't know, Mus—Roy. I feel like I don't know what the hell I am doing." I slowly paced back toward my room, taking the receiver with me.

"_What do you mean?_"

"I dunno." I repeated, as I closed the door behind me. "Relationships are a mystery to me. I don't know the protocol for this."

"_Protocol? Ed, there is no script we have to follow. Don't feel like you have to do anything for me._"

"Yeah, I know, it's just…I don't want this to be a mushy, dime novel thing, but at the same time, I sorta do. Does that even make sense?"

I heard a faint laugh float over the line, and it made something inside me tingle.

"_Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. If it makes you feel any better, I feel like I am bumbling around in the dark sometimes too._"

I grinned and gave a false gasp of surprise. "You? Mr. Perfect-At-Everything doesn't know precisely what he's doing at all times?"

"_Hard to believe, I know_." Suddenly, his voice turned serious again. "_Ed, you don't have to try so hard to define the lines of what this relationship is and isn't. You can let go of the reins a little, I won't let you down. I'm not gonna start talking about the rest of our lives, or marriage, or something right of the bat. Give me a little credit. Just…go with the flow?_"

The last sentence sounded a little like a question, as if he was asking himself the same thing.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Kay. Sorry, I didn't mean to freak out or anything."

"_It's ok_." There was an awkward pause, and I realized that we had nothing to talk about and that I was still standing up. I moved to sit on my bed, trying to come up with a way to break the sudden tension.

"_Tell me something_."

"What?"

"_Anything. Tell me anything about yourself_."

"That's a really gay, chick-flick type thing to say, you know that right?"

"_I'm corny, so sue me. Besides, it's a reasonable request. We are going out, but I don't know anything about you."_

I rolled my eyes at the clichéd game he was playing, but at the same time I was secretly happy to have something to talk about.

"I'll tell you something if you tell me something in return. Equivalent exchange."

"_Sure._"

"Uh, let's see…" I tried to come up with something good enough to not sound like a cop out, but not important enough that it felt like I was telling all my secrets. "I have over a thousand favorites on Youtube."

"_Jesus. You spend all day watching videos or something?_"

"Nope. They are all music. I like to turn it on and let it play while I do something else."

"_Alright…my turn to tell you something._" There was a very pregnant pause then, and I got a little worried.

"Roy?"

"_I am trying to come up with something that won't make me sound like a total asshole or a looser. Give me a minute."_

I snickered. "If it is that hard to come up with something that isn't incriminating, maybe that should tell you something about yourself."

"_Oh, be quiet. Uhm… Oh, I've got it. I like fire."_

"What?"

"_I like fire_." He reiterated. "_I'm a little bit of a pyromaniac._"

I raised my eyebrows. "Wow. That is surprisingly rebellious and not conservative. I'm proud."

"_Heh. I've always been that way_."

We talked like that for quite a while, rambling off harmless little tidbits about each other until Teacher interrupted.

"You like 80's rock? No way, I thought-"

"Edward!" She called from downstairs. "You have been on the phone for over an hour! I need to make a call!"

"Oh." I said, blushing at the fact I hadn't even noticed the time pass. "Kay!" I shouted back.

"Listen, Roy, I have to get off the phone now."

"_Oh…_" He sounded disappointed. "_Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow?_"

I grinned, thinking that it would be hard to see him in the same light, now that all those stupid little facts were starting to humanize him in my mind.

"Sure. See you then."

"_Have a nice night, Edward._" He said before hanging up.

I took the phone away from my face and stared at it, mentally going over all that had transpired in the last couple days.

I shook my head, amazed. I still didn't entirely trust him, and I wasn't sure if I was totally comfortable with the thought of there being an 'us', but…I liked him. A lot, actually. He made me feel normal, which was something I almost never got to experience anymore.

Smiling softly, I got up and went to put the phone up so Teacher wouldn't throw a bitch fit. When I opened the door, Alphonse was there, leaning against his own door and smirking.

"So…what happened to not being able to stand him?"

Fuck. Would the goddamn blush ever go away?

**~0x0~**

_Edward Says: _**Review, goddammit!**

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers

Neoxie- I am glad that you appreciate the realism. I am always afraid that it might be going too slow, but if you like it, then I'm cool. ^_^

cynder81- Of course Roy went into a lust induced haze. Anyone would with Ed sitting next to them. ;)

DrawerDiary- Yes, Al is adorable. Lol, your comment made me think of Scooby Doo. "And I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for that Meddling Hughes!" XDDD

Trumpet-Geek- I am glad that you don't think that my gender affects the quality of my story!

black-klepon- Hehe, no you don't sound like a Winry basher. Roy can be a bit dense sometimes, huh?

Stereophonic Aftershock- Lol, maybe I AM Envy. Mwahahaa! And yes, all of the stuff Ed likes, I like. ^_^


	19. Ink

I finally started watching Brotherhood. But, I am watching it with another person who isn't always around, so it is slow going. And I am only up to volume 7 or 8 in the manga (And while I have seen earlier episodes a lot, I have only watched through the entirety of the first series once). Uggghhh. I wanna see Ling…he is one of my faves, and I don't know anything about him other than what I have read in fanfics, which usually aren't a complete representation of a rounded character. ~whines~

Anyway. I tried to make sure that I knew what I was talking about when explaining the flamel. If you are curious, or want to do your own, more in depth research about the meaning behind the symbol, here is a good place to start:

anime-planet (dot) com/forum/general-anime-discussion/36967-fma-flamel-what-does-mean (dot) html

If you find anything else, about the symbol, or its use in FMA, be sure to let me know, okay?(And in case you are wondering, I did some research on the ouroboros too, and that will come into play later.) Be sure to check out the FMA Wiki too. (PS, the dragon is representative of Envy in the COS movie. Hope that helps you envision it a bit better.)

I will explain what happened with Ed in the next chapter.

**~0x0~**

Two weeks. Two glorious weeks of dating the most amazing gift ever given to humanity.

God, it had been great.

We had managed to keep it a secret, only meeting on Mondays. We had stopped visiting the library during school due to my paranoia of people beginning to figure out that the Stuco. President was dating the Fullmetal Alchemist. Cutting down on our time together was hard, but I didn't want to jeopardize our relationship.

Hughes was constantly winking at me and asking how I was holding up now that I had a non-existent sex life. Of course, I always made a point of getting back at him when he said that, partially because he was being an ass, partially because it was true.

I was used to girls being coy, but usually things went along steadily enough. Edward, however, had an uncanny knack for refusing my advances. Every time I made a move to go past kissing to even just light touches, I got a well-placed elbow to the gut.

But, even though my libido was put on hold, we were still doing pretty well. We talked on the phone a lot. I knew from past experience that communication was the key to a working relationship. The few times that I had tried to be serious with others in the past, it had always fallen apart when we had stopped talking regularly. I didn't want that to happen with Edward and I, so I made a point to speak to him for at least a few minutes a day, more if neither of us was busy.

Hawkeye and the others had looked at me strangely for a few days after Ed had shown up to our meeting a couple weeks ago, but I guess they shrugged it off after a while. Alphonse often asked my opinion on topics in class, and I had to admit that the boy made for an interesting conversation partner.

Other than that, it was business as usual. The Student Council was gearing up for the annual Winter Dance. Organizing the fundraisers necessary to have the money for good dances was not an enjoyable experience, but we dealt with it because planning the actual dances was fun.

It was now Thursday night, and rather that doing my Political Sciences homework, I was day dreaming about my boyfriend, trying to come up with something fun to do the following Monday.

I was startled from my musings when my cell phone rang. When I saw Edward's number flashing on the display, I frowned. It was already past 11:00…normally he didn't call this late, because he was working, or sleeping, or whatever.

Uneasily, I picked it up and answered, hoping nothing was wrong,

"Hello? Why are you calling so late?"

"Roy…"

I instantly knew that something was very out of place. I could hear it in his voice, in the way his breathing sounded far too heavy to be considered normal.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I could hear the rising panic in my voice and forced myself to be calm, for Edward's sake.

"I…dammit, I promised myself I wouldn't do this…Uh…c-could you…"

"What do you need, Ed?"

"U-Uhm…" I could hear his voice shaking and became seriously worried at that point. "Do you th-think that you could, ah…come get me?"

My need to make sure that my golden angel was all right overrode all rational thought as I answered:

"Yeah. Where are you?"

As soon as the response left his lips, I told him to stay put and hung up. I flew across my room, kicking on my shoes while simultaneously pocketing my phone, wallet, and keys.

I was no stranger to sneaking out at night (though, normally it was for late night 'meetings' with whatever girl I was seeing at the time). I knew my parents expected me to be asleep by now, but quite honestly, they didn't much care what I did on my own time, as long as I acted well in public. So, I quietly opened my window and slid onto the windowsill. The next part was little tricky, but years of practice made it almost second nature to me now. Even though it was dark, I didn't need really need to see, as my right foot instinctively sought the small foothold about halfway down the wall.

I lowered myself, closing the window behind me and launched myself backward to the ground. The first few times I had done this I had wound up with a bruised backside, but now I had no problem landing on my feet.

I ran around to front of the house and hopped into my car, making sure to close the door quietly. Rather than starting the engine and risk my parents hearing, I simply released the emergency brake and let the car roll backwards. It was an unspoken rule that I park in the driveway and leave the garage for my father's Mercedes, and that suited me just fine. It gave me access to the long, sloping driveway we had. I just turned the wheels and let gravity take over. Once I was safely to the street, I started the car, thanking whatever higher power that would listen for the quiet prowess luxury vehicles possessed.

I sped toward where Edward had told me he'd be waiting, staying about 10 miles above the speed limit the whole way.

Eventually, I came to a shady looking neighborhood that I thought was about where Ed had told me to pick him up. Slowing down, I scanned the streets for some sign of liquid gold.

I found him after a couple of blocks, almost missing him and driving past until he rushed out of an alleyway to my car.

I stopped and while he hurried to get in, I took one look at his face and was certain that I'd been right. Something was terribly, horribly wrong.

"Edward? Are you okay?' I asked as we pulled away. I was probably driving a little faster than I should have, but I needed to get Edward away from here, for the sake of my own sanity.

"I-I'm…fuck." He ran a shaky hand though his hair and glanced at me before looking at his feet.

"It's ok. I'll just take you home-"

"No!" His outburst caused me to start and stomp on the brakes. I just looked at him.

"S-Sorry…I guess both of us are a little high-strung." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. When he opened them again, my breath was stolen away, just like the first time I saw him, though this time it was for an entirely different reason.

Those eyes were so hollow, their amber depths dulled to a muted bronze. Within them spun despair and horror and something darker that I didn't really want to identify.

He looked…devoid of passion. Hopeless.

That scared the shit out of me.

"I don't…want to go back. Not now. Shit, Roy, I'm sorry, I didn't really think this through…"

"It's ok." I looked him right in the eyes, hoping to convey my sincerity. I wanted him to know that he could lean on me. I thought I saw something shift in those dulled orbs, and I took that as a good sign. Feeling slightly better, I turned back to the road and began to drive again.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked.

"You…You don't mind not taking me back? You don't have a curfew or anything?"

I smirked. "Technically, I do. But my parents don't really give a damn about what I do, as long as I perform well and don't ruin the family's image." I quickly caught the bitter tone that had entered my voice and cleared my throat, hoping he hadn't noticed. "So, it's no trouble."

"Hmmm…"

I quickly hurried to get away from that particular topic. "So, not that driving around aimlessly in the city at night isn't fun or anything, but where did you say you wanted to go?"

"Oh, uh…" He shivered and briskly rubbed his arms. "I really need a shower." He said, almost to himself.

I glanced over at him and shrugged. He didn't look dirty to me. "Why?"

"I just…do. I need a good scrub down." He shivered again and I internally resigned myself to not getting any sleep tonight.

"Ok."

I further confirmed my fears that something very bad had happened when Ed just closed his eyes and didn't ask where I was taking him.

**~0x0~**

I pulled into the parking lot of the shitty little motel and asked Ed to stay put.

"I dunno about this, Roy…"

"Hey, you said you didn't want to go home, you needed a shower, and I can't take you to my house. Doesn't give me a lot of options."

He still looked unconvinced, so I reached over and touched his arm. "Hey." I waited until he looked into my eyes before I continued. "It's okay. You can trust me."

After a moment, he nodded and I gave him a reassuring smile before getting out and heading into what could be loosely defined as the front lobby.

The receptionist just raised an eyebrow at me.

"Need a room, Sugar?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you need one bed or two, and what size would you like?"

I thought about it for a second and decided that Ed could just deal with whatever having one bed implied. I didn't want to have to pay more than necessary.

"One, Queen size, please."

"Will you be staying with us all night, or will you be paying the hourly rate?"

That question made me blush. Despite all the late night adventures I'd had in the past, I'd never been to a pay-by-the-hour motel before.

"Just…two hours, thank you."

She flashed me a suggestive, toothy grin and I hurried to pay and get away from her.

I scurried out of the building, going around to the passenger side of the car and opening the front door, startling Edward in the process.

I dragged him through the lobby, flushing at the look the lady behind the desk gave us. I pulled him to the room we had been given and swiped the card to let us in.

After flicking on the lights, I pushed him toward the door that I assumed was the bathroom and looked away, blushing furiously.

"G-Go take your shower, Ed."

I waited until I heard the click of a door closing before letting out a sigh and moving to sit on the slightly musty smelling bed.

Unbidden, images of all the intimate possibilities of this situation entered my mind.

I scrubbed at my eyes, hoping to make the thoughts of temptation go away.

'_Get your head out of the gutter, Roy. I can't expect anything like that to happen…not when he is so clearly upset.'_

I heard the faint hum of running water, which didn't help me banish the suggestive thoughts from my mind.

Sighing once more, I lay down fully on the bed and closed my eyes, trying to puzzle out exactly what had happened to upset my angel so.

I wasn't really sure how much time passed before I opened my eyes again, but it must have been quite a while, because the next thing I knew, I heard the bathroom door opening.

I opened my eyes and sat up, then proceeded to place my jaw on the floor.

There he stood, still looking slightly damp, steam pouring from the open door to billow around him. His hair hung loose, flowing over his shoulders in little rivulets of gold. Edward had chosen to leave his shirt off and let his pants rest low on his hips, giving me a glimpse of something I had only fantasized about before. Oddly enough, even though this should have been somewhat arousing, I felt not a hint of lust; only awe at the sight before me.

Slowly, I stood, walking toward him in a daze. I touched the side of his face, distantly noting the way the following blush spread over his featured.

"Ed…" came the whisper from my lips.

He looked up at me, eyes shimmering with some unknown emotion, thoughts flickering behind them.

"Ah…I, uh…my shirt got wet." I assume he offered this as an explanation for his bare torso, but I couldn't care less about the cause, only the result.

"I see…" for some reason, I couldn't seem to raise my voice above a whisper.

I knew that I was probably making him uncomfortable, but I didn't have the strength to pull away. Absently, I ran my thumb across his lips, marveling at the little puffs of air I felt there.

"R-Roy. What are you…"

"I know I shouldn't be doing this…" I murmured, thinking aloud "I should be comforting you."

At that he snorted, the very masculine sound helping to break me out of my trance.

"I don't need you to comfort me. I'm not a girl."

"No, you certainly aren't." I said, eyeing his very _male_ form as I moved back and plopped down on the bed once more.

Apparently he caught the look and he rolled his eyes. "Pervert."

"Sorry." I gave him a sheepish grin. "I can't help it."

He shook his head exasperatedly and a slightly uncomfortable, happy silence enveloped us. I just leaned back on my hands and observed him until a thought struck me.

"Hey." He looked up, curious. "Stand in front of me." He looked a little confused, but he must have been feeling cooperative today, because he did as I asked without a fuss.

"What are you doing?" Ed gave a nervous chuckle.

"Nothing too sinister, I assure you. I just haven't really had a change to examine you this closely before."

When he raised an eyebrow, I decided to further explain. "Your tattoos and stuff. I wanna see them."

"Oh. Okay." He looked relieved, and I wondered what he had thought I was going to do.

Slowly, I reached my hand out to his left forearm, halting just before I touched the skin.

"May I?"

Edward had gone strangely quiet, only nodding in response to my question.

I gently touched my fingertips to the dark ink and began to trace each line I came across. I traveled up his arm, following an intricate, tightly spaced sleeve of very dark blue characters that looked like hieroglyphics that started at his wrist and ended just below his elbow. There was a small space of clean skin followed by a swirling tribal design that seemed to spill off his shoulder and down his arm in thick purple strokes. It flowed onto his well-defined chest, forming a spiral with several strong lines traveling down his side and ending in sharp points. After following that one to its completion, my fingers made the trek across his collarbones, registering the slight hitch in his breath and filing it away for later contemplation. To the other shoulder I went, noting the almost reverent amount of space left blank around the next tattoo. It was small in comparison to the others, a little smaller than a fist. It took the form of a red cross with a snake wrapped around it and small wings jutting out from the side, topped by a small crown. I spent a lot of time on that one, tracing the serpent several times before moving on. The next one was an impressive looking green dragon that wrapped itself around Ed's arm, with its head looking toward the previous tattoo and its tail resting along his inner wrist. On the top of his hand was a bright cerulean circle with very precisely placed lines within it, forming circles within the circle, and triangles within those. Along the lines were very small abstract symbols that seemed to revolve around slightly larger characters strategically placed within the design.

I didn't see anything else within plain sight, so I moved my hands to his face and began fingering the metal inlaid there, surprised that it wasn't cold to the touch. There were two rings in Edward's right eyebrow, each stopping before coming full circle and ending in dull spikes. In each of his ears lay several platinum loops that continued up his outer ear and were crested by piercings similar to the ones in his brow. In the lobes rested twin studs that were either real diamonds, or really good knock offs.

When I finished with Ed's face, I gently motioned for him to turn around, instinctively knowing that there was still more. Slowly, he complied, still staying silent. What greeted my eyes made me quietly gasp. There was only one tattoo there, occupying the whole of his back. Huge sprawling wings extended from the back of his shoulders to just above his pants. The shading of the ink provided the illusion that the soft looking feathers were made of gold. The wings were curved slightly inward, made to surround simple, elegant script in the middle of his back.

_Trisha Elric_

_R.I.P_

My belief that he was heaven sent only intensified as I looked at those words, at the wings of an angel unable to fly.

"Ed…"

Finally, he spoke. "That was the first tattoo I ever got."

"Do you mind if I ask who Trisha is?"

"That's my mom."

He said this in a way that made me remember what it was like to really love my parents, made me remember the early years when I cared for them just because they lived with me. For just a moment, I lapsed into nostalgia, remembering a time before I had learned how hollow that bond really was. It made me ache to know that he'd had that innocence forcibly ripped away from him.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. She died a long time ago." He quietly responded.

For a while it was quiet, and I just listened to his breathing. I patted the bed as an invitation to sit down, and when he did, I decided to break the silence.

"Didn't getting all of that done hurt?"

"At first? Yeah. You get used to the sting after a while though. I…I was hesitant to get them in the beginning, but now I find myself looking forward to the next one."

"You're gonna get more?"

"Yup. I'm going to get the Japanese version of my brother's name on the back of my neck, and I was thinking about having my tongue pierced."

I winced, and he must have noticed, because he laughed and gave me the first genuine smile of the night.

"It sounds painful, but as long as you make sure it doesn't get infected…"

I shuddered. "Ugh…don't tell me, I don't wanna know."

Ed smirked, his angelic face becoming devilish in an instant. Shaking my head, I readjusted my legs, mostly to distract myself from the urge to touch him.

"So, I heard-"

"-you like mudkips?" he cut me off.

"Uh, what?"

Edward burst out with laughter. "N-Nothing. Continue." He said, trying to control his snickers.

"Okay…I heard that when people get tattoos, they usually aren't just because they look cool. They have a story behind them. Is that true for you?"

"Well…sorta. Some of them," he pointed to the tribal looking one on his left side, "Are just there because they look awesome. Others," He touched the circle on his right hand, "do have meaning."

"Can I ask what that one means?"

"Well, it doesn't really mean anything, per se, but it's on this blanket I have, and I liked it, so…"

"You got a tattoo because it reminded you of your bestest blankie?"

"Shut up, Bastard."

Smiling, I pointed to the little red cross with wings. "What about this one?"

"It's called a flamel. The crucified serpent represents the "fixing of the volatile." It's a very old symbol, made famous by Nicholas Flamel. Basically, it's about taking the bad and making it into something good."

I just blinked, making a mental note to research that further.

"Oh…Cool."

"Mmhmm…"Ed hummed absent mindedly. "You know, initially, I was planning on doing scenery tattoos, and faces of people important to me, but now I'm glad that I didn't. I like the symbolism better."

"I see…I like them. Your 'tats' make you look badass."

"I know, right? And you've only seen the top half."

When I squeaked and almost fell off the bed in reaction to envisioning exactly _what _might be underneath his pants, Edward just proceeded to laugh at me and tell me what a dumbass I was. Then we made out for a few minutes and I took him home (I had to remind him to put his shirt back on).

The whole time, I couldn't stop thinking to myself:

'_It would be nice if we could stay like this forever.'_

**~0x0~**

_Leave Me A Review Please! The more I get, the less you have to wait to find out what happened to Ed! (And the more I update, the faster the sex comes...)_

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

RomiofAmestria- I am glad you like my story! And I'm so sorry that you felt I flamed you, that wasn't the intention. Just stating my opinion. Yes, Ed loves Al in a platonic sense. Initially, I was going to have Al interested in Ed for romance, but then I decided that something like that would bog down the story too much. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me and leaving so many kind reviews.

black-klepon -Yes, you reviewed the vampire one. ^_^ And yes, I hope Roy's pyromania will make an appearance soon. (I don't really know when it will, seeing as the story sort of writes itself. I don't have much control over where my creative muse goes, it seems.)

DrawerDiary- Thanks. I think Ed is a total cutie pie, so I have to inject some fluff into their relationship. And Al does know everything. He's just awesome like that.

Trumpet-Geek- Well? Did the sexiness of the tattoos meet your expectations?

Stereophonic Aftershock- All the characters are based very closely on different aspects of myself. Roy is my romantic/evil overlord side, Al is my innocent/infallible logic side, Ed is my sarcastic/insane side. So, when I said that Ed has over 1000 faves on Youtube, it is because _I _have over 1000 faves on Youtube. Seriously. And I haven't heard MCR'c latest yet. Would you recommend it?

Deikuru- UPDATE ATTACK! Lol. I am glad you can understand Ed's spazz attack, I was hoping that it wouldn't be too OOC. And Al is awesome. XD

firedragonmaiden- Thanks!


	20. Wash My Fear Away

What? Plot? I thought I saw a bit of plot somewhere in there…And lots of people guessed that I had Ed raped…read on and you shall see. ^_~ Also, I hope you notice the marked difference in the way Roy thinks about sex, and the way Edward sees it. I hope I wrote it differently enough for you to see that.

Anyway. Now we find out what was up with Ed in the last chapter. This is also our first big insight into the gang's activity (mostly because Ed isn't avoiding the topic, for once). It's…IDK if graphic is the right word to use, but it is a little different, because Gangland is a dark place. This chapter also portrays exactly what Ed does in the gang and some of you might not agree with the stuff I make him do.

So, let me say this: I don't want to hear anything about "Oh, Ed wouldn't do that," or "Ed wouldn't let himself pick up the gang's bad habits!" YES, he would. Even if you are a good person, if you agree to be in a gang, you are going to wind up doing bad things, end of story. Even harmless 'gangs' of kindergarten boys have the bad habit of pulling little girl's hair. Being exposed to that lifestyle for long periods of time will change a person. That is just how it goes. Deal with it.

And you can get the smell of smoke out of anything with the right cleaning supplies and toothpaste. Trust me, I know.

**~0x0~**

"_Get down!"_

_Vaguely, I heard Greed's voice over the roar of gunfire. I dove behind a car, staying low to the ground, wondering how the hell this had happened._

_This area was our turf, had been ours for over a year, anybody in the underground would know that. Anybody who was smart would know that the S.A. was not to be messed with._

_What was this new, violent element on the scene?_

_I mentally went over everything that had happened tonight, looking for any hints of aggression on our part that might have brought this on._

**~0x0~**

_It had started as a normal night. I had been unhappy to be stuck with Marta because she was an annoying bitch, but other than that, nothing was unusual. I was only here for muscle, really. Just a back up for the drug dealer of the night to lean on. We had gotten a refresher on our supply of the good stuff, and one of our regulars had just made a purchase, which I found funny, because it had been very clear that he was already stoned out of his mind._

_If you are already high, why would you be trying to get high? Maybe it was for a stash. I didn't know, nor did I care. I would love to say that I didn't understand because I had never been high, but that would be a blatant lie. Even though I didn't like that part of my life during the light of day, I couldn't just deny the fact that chemically easing my worries was nice, from time to time._

_Even if it did make me feel weak later._

_So, I took the joint out of my pocket and lit up, making a mental note to take a really long shower and give these clothes a special wash to get the smell of smoke out. I really didn't want my brother to know about my addictions, and coming home smelling like pot would probably clue him in. Hell, I even wasted money on special toothpaste to keep people from catching on._

_I had barely gotten two puffs in when Dorochet had come bounding out of nowhere, scaring the shit out of me (Marta didn't even flinch) and jerking his head toward one of our other usual spots._

"_Problem." Was all he said, before jogging out of the alley we were currently occupying._

_Marta and I shot each other slightly worried glances before following him through a series of twists and turns that would have left a regular person lost and disoriented. We were used to it though, so I immediately knew exactly where we were and where we were headed. Noa and Russell had been working on the other side of the portion of the city that we had claimed for our own, and as we made the long trek down there, I began to get seriously worried._

_If we were being dragged from a potential night of serious money making halfway across the city sector, then some shit had to have been going down._

_All three of us started running when the crack of a gunshot rang out. _

"_The fuck, dog boy!" I called out to Dorochet._

"_I dunno man! Some guy came up and started playing games with Russell, and Noa texted me, tellin' me to come get you. I guess because he was packing heat."_

"_Dammit."_

_We were coming toward the sounds of a fight really fast and I snuck a glance at the two beside me. Both had pulled handguns out of thin air, both looking determined and ready to fight, both completely comfortable with the murder weapons they were wielding. _

_Distantly, I wondered if I would be like that by the time all was said and done. If someday I would be accepting of the thought of taking a life. I had changed a lot over the past year, doing things I never would have agreed to at first. From my first cigarette, to my first fistfight, to my first time accepting the offer of a streetwalker, I knew that all of those were things I had sworn not to do when I first became a State Alchemist. But they had happened. And even though I wasn't exactly proud, or uncaring of the consequences, I didn't freak out about it anymore. Would the same happen with my stance on death? Would I someday get so used to the sight of blood that it wouldn't faze me anymore?_

_I hoped not._

_The sounds of the fight were really close now, and they shook me from my thoughts. We rounded a corner and my companions kept barreling onward, but I stopped short for just a second to assess the situation._

_The whole gang was here (With the exception of Fletcher and Nina, of course. We didn't let the kids out on the streets). Noa was crouching behind an SUV , holding something that looked like a little water gun, but I knew that it would do a lot more than get you wet if you were on the receiving end of it. Russell was next to her with nothing but a pocket knife and a bag, which I knew had his cocaine stash in it. Loa was in the middle of everything, soon to be joined by Dorochet and Marta, all of which proceeded to stand in front of that spiky haired asshole, Greed._

"_Get down!" Greed bellowed, diving around the corner of a building._

_I dove behind a car, mind whirring. _

_I supposed it was fortunate that I hadn't gotten to finish smoking, because being high right now wouldn't be helpful._

_I peeked around the car, trying to get a good view of our assailants. 1, 2, 3…7 total. Those weren't good odds, and I wasn't armed. Fortunately, we were in the business sector, which meant there weren't many people around. But, the few remaining that worked a night shift would be coming to investigate soon. Plus, it wouldn't be long before the police got here, which wouldn't be good for us. This had to be resolved fast._

_I looked around, hoping to find something that would help._

'I will not draw a weapon. I will not take a life. There has to be another way.' _I thought._

_Finally, my eyes landed on a fire hydrant and I got an idea._

"_Loa!" He was currently leaning around the corner of a building, returning fire fruitlessly. Whoever these guys were, they were no strangers to gun fights. I caught the big man's eye, and desperately motioned for him to come to me. _

_More quickly than someone his size should have been able to, he dashed over to me and hunkered down, narrowly missing a spray of bullets._

"_Do you see that fire hydrant?" I jerked my thumb over my left shoulder without turning toward where I was pointing. He nodded. "Think you can break it?"_

_He hesitated and glanced back, toward where Greed was kneeling on the ground. "But…"_

"_Dude, we have to get out of here before the police come. If we put any blood on our hands now, they will, at the very least start keeping tabs on us. We can't afford that right now, even if we didn't start the fight."_

_He thought for a moment, then nodded, and turned toward the rest of the group, and got their attention. _

"Cover me._" He silently mouthed._

_He held up three fingers and began counting off the seconds. _

One.

_I could only hope this worked. I had seen the outcomes of gang wars, and I didn't want to see any of that tonight._

Two.

_I was afraid._

Three.

_Loa ran around the car, staying close to the ground as the S.A. open fired in the direction of the opposite group, not really aiming to hit anything, just serving as a distraction. I hoped that it would buy enough time. I rose slightly, now squatting up against the car door and cautiously looked through the window, trying not to let the sound of gunfire affect me._

_Loa had reached the hydrant, and was now trying to pry the top off of the thing. And, even though he appeared to be struggling, it was clear that he was going to succeed. Damn, that guy was strong. Now it was just a question of whether or not he could do it before the other side noticed._

_After a second, I saw cracks form in the concrete around the base of the hydrant. He wasn't aiming to break it; he was going to pull the whole damn thing out. Unconsciously, I grinned, coming to respect his immense power even more._

_As if in slow motion, I watched as one of the nameless guys behind yet another car (I almost felt sorry for the damage the owners of these vehicles were going to have to pay for.) pointed at Loa. Shit, he'd been spotted. And as I swiveled my head to look at him, the last of the hydrant's resistance gave, and the metal cylinder was ripped from the ground with a mighty roar from the giant of a man. Water burst forth from the new hole in the ground, coming out with a pressure that was amazing and shooting several feet into the air in all directions, engulfing everything in a white spray. _

_I whooped as I heard the screams of confusion and the sound of guns being dropped or swept away from the other side of the city's newest fountain. Loa emerged from the chaos soaking wet and grinning like a mad man and gave me a jubilant thumbs up, which was the biggest display of a positive emotion I'd ever seen from him._

_Greed trotted over and gave him a firm pat on the back and turned to the rest of us._

"_Alright, now scatter!" And with that, we were off, each of us picking different directions, going off in clusters, then thinning down to pairs, and after a few turns, on our own. _

_I was still smiling like an idiot and jogging down a back alley when I saw one of the guys from the fight dash up to a sleek black car and start beating on the door, the harsh movement flinging water everywhere. _

_I ducked down into the shadows, remaining completely silent as a person got out of the car. I couldn't tell if they were male or female by their body, I just knew that nobody should wear shorts that were cut _that_ short. The newcomer had nasty looking green dye job and when he/she/it put a hand on their hip and stuck a leg out, I could see a tattoo of a dragon eating itself on their inner thigh. _

"_Hey, man!" Said the one who had run up to the car._

'That thing is a guy? Gross.' _I thought absentmindedly. _

"_You didn't tell us that they'd have so many reinforcements come out of nowhere! That wasn't a part of the deal."_

"_I told you to be prepared. And you couldn't even do what I sent you to do." Said the green haired one, who I still wasn't certain if it was a man or not. 'He' took a step forward and the drenched dude back down. Which I thought was kind of odd. Why would anybody be afraid of a half-dressed transvestite that didn't have enough muscle to break a twig?_

"_What are we going to do with you?" said Girly-Man, with a wicked sneer._

"_L-listen, I don't want any trouble, Envy…" the way he said the last word made it sound as if that was the other guy's name._

"_No, neither do I. So, let's settle this little issue reasonably, shall we?"_

_And then, almost faster than I could follow, 'Envy' produced a switchblade from out of nowhere and slashed it across the other guy's throat._

_I watched in horror as the man fell, blood spraying from the wound in a sickening shower of crimson._

"_Get rid of useless people. Completely reasonable, wouldn't you say?" After his apathetic parting words, he coolly got back into the car and I stared, breathless, as he pulled away from the gurgling man on the street._

_I found myself paralyzed and unable to look away from the man writhing on the ground, trying to get air into his body and unable to do so. I couldn't stop watching as the light faded from his eyes, and he slowly began to stop moving, jerking less and less, until he went completely still. Blood. There was so much blood. More than a body that size should have been able to hold. I felt myself go cold._

'If that guy had seen me, I would be dead too.'

_I felt the bile rise in my throat in reaction to that thought and was barely able to double over far enough to miss my clothes before I threw up more violently than I could ever remember doing before._

_Gasping for breath, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and shakily stood. I took one last look at the body then turned and ran. I felt terrified. I felt like a coward. I felt dirty. Like I was drenched in the life that had been lost._

_For the first time in years, I wanted to have someone else to comfort me. Immediately I thought of Al, but I knew I couldn't face him like this. Everything felt off, distorted, wrong. I couldn't have my time with my brother tainted by that. _

_Then I thought of Roy. If I called, would he answer? Would he come see me at this time of night? I didn't think he would, but my need to not be alone drove me to stop my aimless wandering and shakily take my phone from my pocket. _

_I hoped he wouldn't notice the blood that I couldn't see, but could so clearly feel oozing through my fingers._

**~0x0~**

I groaned and rolled over, cursing the flashback dream for ruining my perfectly 'normal' sleep pattern.

I usually didn't have dreams like that, but for the past two nights, I had been reliving those moments with startling clarity.

I hadn't told anyone what I'd seen that day, and had felt sick upon seeing the paper the following day, reading the words that described the grisly murder in cold text. I'd been jumpy ever since.

Thinking about what happened that night led me to thinking about Roy.

I hadn't really expected him to respond the way he did, coming out to get me in the middle of the night and complying with all my stupid requests. I appreciated it more than I'd ever say out loud, because even though I had said I didn't need comforting, the truth was quite the opposite. And he'd given me that without hesitation or making a big fuss about it.

Which is probably why I was able to trust him enough to go into a skanky motel room with him, alone.

I had been so out of it that I hadn't really thought about coming out of the bathroom topless, but as soon as I saw his jaw slacken, I had regretted it. When he had walked up to me like a zombie, I had been kinda worried that he would jump me, but then he had acted all concerned about me… the hurricane of different emotions I'd felt that day had left me feeling numb. So, when he'd asked to touch my tattoos, rather than doing as I usually would have and telling him to fuck off, I let him.

It had felt so fucking _good._

I shivered at the memory of Roy's fingers running over my skin. I blushed when realized what was happening, embarrassed that I was getting a stiffie from thinking about _him_…but I couldn't deny the fact that the room was beginning to feel very hot. I supposed I should take care of it…

I kicked off my blanket and let it fall to the floor. Better to let it sit down there for a while than get cum stains on it.

I normally only slept in boxers and a tank top so I wouldn't get too hot, but it also assured that I didn't have too much clothing to deal with at times like these. So, I tugged the Batman boxers down enough to bare more sensitive parts of my body to the chilly night air, trembling slightly.

Ugh. I was ready to fucking blow already. It had been way too long since I'd done this…I'd been too tired after work to worry about it. In light of that, I decided to skip a long, slow fantasizing session in favor of going straight to the hot stuff. Just get it over with, so I could go back to sleep.

I took a deep, shuddering breath and closed my eyes, biting back a moan when I felt the hot flesh of my hand meet my weeping erection.

_Roy was running his hands all over me, just as he had before. Only now, he ran them in circles of my nipples, every once in a while delivering a pinch that made me jump. Quickly he unbuttoned my jeans and rid me of them, my underwear swiftly following suit. _

I grit my teeth to hold in the groan that threatened to escape my mouth and started to jerk it faster, desperately seeking the release I needed.

_He had his hands all over me, touching me in every place that felt good, then he was taking my dick in his mouth. Fuck, it was so hot and wet, I couldn't stop the jerk of my hips. When he moaned around my length, it vibrated into me, breaking the little control that I had been holding onto. I put a hand onto the back of his head to hold it in place and thrust forward. I was pleasantly surprised when his throat opened for me and seemed to have no problem taking me in. _

"Fucking hell, Roy…" I whispered into the night.

_I continued skull fucking his brains out, something within me coiling tighter with every thrust. I couldn't wait to shoot my load down that tight throat…_

My hand was moving ever faster, gliding over hardened flesh with practiced ease. Seriously, it had only been about a minute and already, I was on the brink. It really had been to long…of course, the vision of my boyfriend going down on me running around in my head didn't help.

_He moaned around me again, and I couldn't believe that he had enough air to make that much noise while simultaneously deep-throating me. Goddammit, this felt so effing good…I wanted more. I drove in faster, giving no thought to the amount of strength being put into my thrusts. But Roy didn't protest. In fact, he only moaned more, seeming to get just as much pleasure out of this as I was. I looked down at him, admiring the way that my cock disappeared into that warm mouth. I was mesmerized by the sight. But, it seemed that couldn't last, because Roy suddenly looked up at me with those dark eyes of his, and I came completely undone._

My hips jerked violently at that mental image and I bit my lip to keep from shouting as I came. I rode the orgasm for quite a long time, unwilling to let go of the bliss I'd found in that moment. Eventually, I came down from the endorphin high and sighed in weary contentment. This was the best I'd felt in quite a while.

I slowly got up and went to the bathroom, savoring the pleasant burn I felt in my leg muscles. After cleaning up a bit, I went back to my room and curled up under my blanket again.

I was drifting off to sleep when a stray thought hit me.

I had never masturbated thinking about him before. Hell, I had never yanked it thinking about _anybody_ I knew before.

There was no way in hell I could face him without blushing now.

Fuck.

**~0x0~**

_Please Review! And be sure to point out any errors I might have made so I can fix them. Thanks!_

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

Stereophonic Aftershock- Yeah, I have way too much time on my hands...I believe that is a Styx song...anyway. What is your fave song from Black Parade? My would have to be Teenagers...

cynder81- I like their pace too. It seems normal (or as normal as these two can be.) Lol. Thanks!

RomiofAmestria- Of course you were acknowledged. ^_^ Yeah...there were so many different views on the flammel that I had to dumb it down into a bad vs. good thing to have it make sense...but thanks! And who doesn't like Mudkips?

black-klepon- Thanks for the warning about the typos...I think I fixed most of them...honestly, it is so hard to write a decent chapter without a beta. Anyway. Yeah, Shamballa was angst supreme, even if it didn't make much sense. You caught onto the Winter Dance nuance, eh? Good job. ^_~

Deikuru- I like to leave you guessing. Makes it more fun. XP

Shane- Hope this chapter cleared up any questions you had.

Falling Stars into the Sea- Of course Roy is always horny. Anybody would be if they were around Ed all the time. And the gang didn't disappear. They were just lying in wait. ^_^

shadowX101- Hope this was fast enough for you! Lol /shot

madbutterfly- I am glad you did too! I am really happy that you like it!

RogueWhisper- I am glad to leave you wanting more. ^_^ That means my story is written well enough to catch your attention, and that makes me happy!

iStoleYourChips- *puts hands up* I-I'm sorry! I will not do it again, I swear! *tries to write faster*

Suma Akila- I am glad that you like my take on this pairing...I hope that clears up any questions you had about Ed?

Neoxie- I am glad that I made Ed as a gangster convincing...it wasn't easy to do! But well worth it in my humble opinion. And yeah, I felt the need to put some meaning behind Ed's tats because he wouldn't just have them there for no reason.


	21. Stereotypical Romance Scene

Heyyyy. What is up?

I was wondering, do any of you know of a beta that is free, or want to serve as a beta for this story? At least until mine comes back? Mostly just to give suggestions, maybe address things that don't make sense, and of course, catch typos that spellcheck isn't smart enough to find. I am just getting sick of having to edit these chapters three times _after_ I have already uploaded. Catching stuff after the fact is really annoying. Plus, I could really use a new voice of encouragement to keep me going… You get to read things ahead of time and influence the story and get to know me better! *waggles eyebrows* Any takers?

And yes, Hughes is a father, even in high school. That isn't uncommon nowadays, and it is such an integral part of his character, that I couldn't leave it out.

This chapter reminds me of that line from Despicable Me…. "IT'S SO FLUFFY!" Also, I didn't want to torture Ed with awkwardness because of his little 'escapade' the other day, so it wont be super prominent.

**EDIT: **I have published a new story! If any of you are interested in D. Gray Man yaoi, please check out _Neptune's Call_.

**~0x0~**

Tomorrow was Monday. My new favorite day of the week. So, it was with a heavy heart that I realized I was uncomfortable with the idea of seeing my angel again.

After dropping him off Thursday night, I had thought that everything would be okay, but when I had seen him in school the next day, he'd had that same dead look in his eyes again. I had tried calling him, but he always ducked out of any conversation I started with a lame excuse and hung up. I was getting seriously worried now. What could have happened? I knew that I had to ask him about it tomorrow, or it would drive me crazy.

**~0x0~**

I had texted Ed before coming to school this morning, telling him that I would pick him up and take him someplace special after finishing my homework today. Fortunately, he had actually replied and said that would be fine. Unfortunately, that was the only good thing that had happened thus far.

My Trig class was miserable, as usual. My Political Science class had a debate today, which normally wasn't a problem, but today we had been discussing laws on abortion which dissolved into a shouting match, just as I had known it would. Some people simply didn't have the capacity to take in a differing opinion and talk about it logically. During my Government Teaching Aide class, Alphonse had cornered me and asked me if I knew what was wrong with Edward. Apparently, he had noticed that the elder Elric was acting a bit off. When I told him I had no idea, he got this despairing look on his face, much like the look puppies in the pet store window like to give you when you pass by without going in. I had to spend ten minutes of note passing to cheer him up.

Lunch was horrid, as Armstrong had somehow picked up on my bad mood and proceeded to try and rip his shirt off to "blow away negative thoughts with a view of a perfect muscular specimen." I was now officially scarred for life. My Free Period had been boring as hell, and when Chem. II finally came, some dumbass had spilled acid on the floor before I could even say 'hi' to Mr. Bunsen Burner, and we had to evacuate the lab and spend the rest of the period going over formulas in an unused room.

I had rushed home after the final bell rang, eager to get my work done and spend some time with my boyfriend. Of course, my study time was interrupted by Havoc calling me to gloat about his new girlfriend and Hughes texting me with about 50 pictures of his newborn daughter sleeping. Christ, the child had only been in the world a few months, and I was already sick of seeing her.

Finally, I managed to put aside the distractions and get my shit together. I texted Ed and told him to get ready, and informed my mother that I was going out for a stroll in the park. Which was true. I simply neglected to tell her that I would not be taking this particular walk alone.

I got into my car and drove at a mostly normal speed to Ed's house, sighing in relief when I saw him waiting on the front steps for me. He seemed to be startled upon hearing the sound of my car, and quickly got in.

When he sat down, he was strangely flushed.

"Ed? Are you alright?"

"Huh? O-oh. Yeah. No problem." He went an even deeper shade of red and turned away, wringing his hands.

"Are you sure? We don't have to go, if you don't-"

"No it's cool." He gave a nervous laugh and waved his hand, trying to indicate that he was fine. I didn't quite believe him, but there was no arguing with him once he had his mind made up. So, I shrugged and started up the car.

"Where are we going?" he asked absentmindedly.

"You'll see." I turned my GPS on and told it to direct me to one of the few pre-programmed locations that I had bothered to put in there, as I wasn't used to going to my favorite park from this direction.

We drove along on the highway for a while, both quiet and absorbed in our own thoughts. I hadn't turned the radio on upon getting in, and now I sort of regretted it, as the silence was becoming deafening.

When I got into the right most lane for the exit we needed, a disembodied voice broke the quiet that had fallen over us.

"_Turn right in one hundred feet."_

"Shut up, Rosie, I can read the damn map." I muttered.

"Rosie?"

I glanced over at Ed and gave him a little embarrassed smile before turning back to the road.

"Yeah…I used to love old cartoons when I was little. So, I when I got this GPS, and set the program for its voice, I named it Rosie after the robot maid in The Jetsons…It sounds exactly like her."

Ed was quiet for a minute, then let out a little laugh. No, not a laugh. He _giggled_.

I very nearly slammed on the brakes and told him to get the fuck out of my car and come back with the real Edward, who never giggled, but it had been so damn cute that I didn't mind spending some more time with this imposter.

**~0x0~**

I pulled into a parking space and got out, pausing to close my eyes and take a deep breath while I listened to Edward grumble as he also exited the vehicle.

"Wow, Roy, this is really pretty. I didn't think we had places like this around here."

"Mmhmm." I opened my eyes and took in the quaint little park. It looked very…autumn-y. The trees no longer held the vibrancy that they'd had at the beginning of the season, but the leaves had not turned completely brown yet, and the few pine trees here and there really livened it up. When the snows came, this place would look like the proverbial winter wonderland, and during spring it would be covered in flowers. All in all it was just really nice, a quiet patch of semi-nature in the noisy suburbs.

"Yeah, I really like it. I come out here whenever I need to get away for a while."

I started walking down the little path that led to the man-made creek that was strategically hidden away in the trees and gestured for Ed to follow. After a couple minutes of walking, we came to the tiny foot bridge for crossing the water that was flanked on either side by a couple of benches and sat down. I leaned back and just enjoyed the sunshine until Edward spoke.

"It's been awhile…"

"Hmm?"

"Oh…It's just been a while since I have been somewhere like this. Around trees that aren't in pots and stuff. It's nice."

I nodded, and listened as he continued to talk.

"I used to live out in the sticks, and grew up playing in the woods. Me and Al would go out into the forest for hours and try to catch rabbits and play hide n' seek and shit. He always won. When we got home, Mom would always have hot chocolate for us…" He trailed off and I observed the nostalgic look in his eyes. He looked far older than he actually was right now.

"That sounds like something out a cheesy Disney movie. Must've been nice." He chuckled a bit and looked down, gazing into the water's surface as if he was seeing his memories being replayed there.

I decided to continue talking, if only to keep myself busy. "I grew up here…never lived anywhere else. The only real forest I've ever been in is the Redwood Forest, out in California…we took a vacation there once."

"Really? I've never been to the coast before."

"The ocean was nice, but the forest was boring. Yeah, the trees are big, but my parents wouldn't let me touch them. Guess they thought that a fourteen year old boy had the power to kill trees that have survived for centuries."

"Heh. If anybody could, it would be you."

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes and fell quiet again. Eventually, I decided that I had to say what I came here to say eventually, so I might as well do it now.

"Hey, Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"What…happened on Thursday?"

He stiffened and looked at the ground.

"I don-"

"Edward. You can't tell me nothing happened. I'm not stupid." He pursed his lips and I sighed. I put a hand on his shoulder and pushed lightly, turning his body toward me. "Listen. I understand if you don't want to give me specifics. But, I need to know that you are okay. You have been really off recently, and it is really starting to scare me."

"You don't have to worry about me…"he mumbled, still refusing to look at me.

"I know I don't have to," I put my fingers on his chin and turned his head to look at me. "But I do. You are important to me. I know I can't come swooping in to save the day whenever something bad happens, but I still want to help. Even if the only thing I can do is cheer you up after the fact, I want to do the best that I can. So, just…let me in a little?"

He looked into my eyes, and I did my best to hold his gaze, even though his irises were spinning again and I wanted to drown in them. I had to be lucid if I wanted to help, couldn't let myself be distracted by how beautiful he was. As I was mentally telling myself to get my Romeo-syndrome in check, Ed did something that completely shocked me, immediately cutting off all coherent thought.

He leaned into me, pressing his chest against mine and buried his head in the crook of my neck. I felt him take a deep, shuddering breath and let it out slowly.

"Somebody died on Thursday." He whispered.

"Oh, Ed, I'm so sor-"

"Don't be. I didn't know him. I just…" he shivered. "I saw him get killed."

I went cold at those words, my limbs immediately feeling numb. The way he said that told me that it had been horrible, that the image of that death would never be forgotten. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer, willing my voice to not crack as I tried to comfort him.

"God, Ed, I'm sorry, I didn't know. Do you need me to do anything for you? Do you want to talk about it?"

I felt him shake his head against my neck. "No. I'll be alright. Stuff like that happens all the time. I just…hadn't seen it up close before. To be honest…" He pulled away and looked at me. "I, uh…I wanted to thank you. I know that I haven't been myself lately, so it might not be obvious…but you really helped me out that night. So, uh…thanks."

"If you really want to thank me, you should let me hold you a little longer." I said, waggling my eyebrows, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Jesus, you really are gay, aren't you?" Ed leaned back even farther, and smirked at me. He looked a little more like himself now, as if the confession had lifted something from him. I was glad, so I went along with the topic change.

"No, I'm really not. I don't like men at all, actually."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then what is this?" He gestured to the two of us. "An experiment? Or a bet, like in that stupid teen movie?"

"Haha. No." I shook my head. "I just…find you attractive. You're my type, I guess. I don't really know why I feel that way, but I always have. I'm not really into guys, but I don't mind that you are a guy. What about you? Have you made any decisions on your sexuality?"

"No, not really. To be honest, I don't really care what gender a person is…I guess that makes me bi? I dunno."

"Haha…a straight guy, and a guy that may, or may not be bisexual in a gay relationship. Will wonders never cease."

"Heh." He leaned back against the bench with a laugh.

It was comfortably quiet for a while, both of us lost in thought. I wasn't really sure what drove me to ask my next question, but it just seemed to slip out.

"Hey, what do you think about sex?"

"Wh-What?"

"I'm not trying to get in your pants with this, I'm just…curious. I don't think I've ever met a teenage boy who doesn't want to get in the sack with whoever they're dating."

"Maybe I just have higher standards than everyone else? Does it matter?"

"No." I said quickly. I didn't want him to think that sex was an expectation for me. "It's obvious that you don't want to, which is fine…I guess I was just wondering why."

"I…I'm sort of sick of it, to be honest. Every time I've ever…I always just felt guilty afterward."

I looked at him, brain whirring as a couple more puzzle pieces clicked into place.

"You aren't a virgin?"

He let loose a humorless chuckle. "I'm about as pure as _you_ are."

"Really? I could have sworn that—hey, wait, what do you mean by that? I have pure intentions from time to time."

"Whatever lets you sleep at night, Roy."

I mulled that over for a bit, unsure what to think about his opinion of my sex life. I decided that I didn't really want to know, and skirted around that issue in favor of a different one.

"Why did it make you feel guilty?"

"I felt like I was avoiding my problems with it. Plus, it was always one night stands with random chicks…never any emotion involved. I sort of wanted something a little more…real than that. And worrying about STDs all the time didn't help my mindset either, so I just gave up on it for a while."

"Wow…I suppose you really can't judge a prudish book by its cover…"

He snorted. "I'm not a prude, I just have the ability to think with my brain, and not my dick. Plus, who knows where you have been. For all I know, you might have syphilis."

"I don't have anything of the sort, thank you. I am always very careful. I don't assume you are riddled with diseases, just because you have had previous sexual encounters. The least you could do is extend me the same courtesy."

"Fine. I acknowledge that perhaps your man-whoring has not resulted in an STD."

"Thanks." I said with a roll of my eyes. I felt decidedly uncomfortable talking about this, wondering why I'd bothered to bring it up in the first place, so I tried a quick change of subject.

"So…are you gonna let me hug on you more or not?"

He raised an eyebrow at me and looked at me like I had three heads.

"You aren't really into cuddling, are you?" I asked with a laugh.

"No, not really," Then a sly smile slid onto his face. "I am into making out, though."

Well. Hard to complain about that.

**~0x0~**

_Please Review! And be sure to point out any mistakes that I might have made, so I can fix them. ^_^_

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

cynder81- I am so happy you liked it! I wanted to give the fight a cool ending, the fire hydrant was the best I could come up with. XD

firedragonmaiden- It wasn't too bad for him, but I did make him squirm a little, eh?

Stereophonic Aftershock- Smexy Handshake…I like that. XD And Envy is a he/she/it. No better way to describe the little green-haired bastard.

RomiofAmestria- Hehe. I like Mudkipz….

shadowX101- Lol. Roy is pretty much always turned on when he is around Ed…

Shane- Ed is just cute in general. ^_^

black-klepon- I like Loa too…And Ed didn't do too badly with this encounter. XD

Wicked Winter- Envy is always heartless, because he is jealous of everyone that has a true gender. And yeah, turning a street fight into a water war = epic.


	22. Text Talk

Aggghhhh. I've been so…. uninspired lately. Life has been relatively monotonous recently. But, on the bright side, my beta is back (mostly) so….yay? XD

_This is an extremely short chapter, even by my standards, but this is for transition, as I want the next bit to be from Roy's POV. Bear with me._

I am…slowly working toward a chapter that I already have partially written….It will be more emotional than most, I think. Their Winter Dance will be the turning point in their relationship that takes it from casual to serious. I don't know exactly how long it will be until that chapter, but it's coming.

By the way, there won't be much updating during summer…There are pools open and bikinis to ogle. Gotta build up enough masturbation material to last me once they close, so, yeah. Fapping before writing. Sorry bout that.

PS: Can you guess who the owner of the bar is?

**~0x0~**

The past couple of days had been…weird. I felt lighter, in some strange way, like talking to Roy in the park had lifted some of the burden from my shoulders. I no longer had nightmares about the death I'd witnessed a week ago, but what that Envy character had said still bothered me.

"_I told you to be prepared. And you couldn't even do what I sent you to do."_

It sounded like that fight had been planned…countless times, I'd been on the verge of bringing it up with Greed, but something kept holding me back. I knew that if our leader thought he was being targeted, he would strike back, and that would most likely start a gang war…I didn't want to be a part of that. We'd barely been able to contain his anger after the fight, and I didn't want to start shit up again.

But, life continued on. The Student Council had another fundraiser thing that they were pushing-something about a dance. I never went to dances, so I didn't really care. Normally, I would have skipped the assembly held to announce all of this, but something had compelled me to go. Unlike last time, Roy had no trouble getting into his speech. He did throw me a secret glance filled with something warm that I couldn't quite identify as he left the auditorium. It did strange things to my stomach.

That guy, Hughes, kept giving me these weird grins. I wondered how much Roy was telling him about us. I hoped it wasn't much.

Roy and I talked on the phone a lot. Mostly about how our day had been, since we didn't really meet up at school anymore. I wasn't quite sure why he was so paranoid about being found out, since he had never seemed to mind everybody knowing when he was fucking around with some chick. He'd said something about his family when we'd first gotten together. Maybe that was it? I didn't know, and I didn't really want to push the issue.

As for my household, there were obviously mixed feelings about it. Sig was…just Sig. If he thought anything about it, he didn't let on. Teacher had gone through phases of annoyance and amusement in reaction to me tying up the phone line for at least half an hour a day, since I refused to waste minutes on my cell when there was another option available. Other than that, it didn't seem as though she cared too much.

Al was…hesitantly accepting of it. I could tell that he still wasn't 100% sold on the idea of Roy and me. Whether that was because we were both guys or not, I wasn't sure. Perhaps it was because he didn't want me to get hurt, or maybe he didn't really want Roy to be taking up all my time, since my brother obviously wanted to hang out more. Either way, he didn't say much about it, so I figured it was all right to continue the relationship.

I found myself spacing out in my Advanced Algebra II class, doodling in my notebook and thinking about my boyfriend. It still struck me as sort of strange, when I took the time to think about it.

Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, had a boyfriend. Who just happened to be the Student Council President. That was seriously weird.

I sighed again, wondering how the hell all of this had happened.

After a few minutes of completely ignoring the teacher, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

Swiftly, I looked around to make sure nobody had noticed it, wondering who the heck was calling at this time of day.

Stealthily, I took the device out, making sure to hold it under my desk so the teacher wouldn't be able to see it. I looked at the number on the front display and smiled faintly.

Roy.

I flipped open the phone and opened the text, feeling oddly warm.

_Hey. Math is particularly boring today. I would rather talk to you. How is your day going?_

I felt myself grin wider at the cheesy message, my fingers immediately moving to type a reply.

_School is a waste of my time, as usual. Sitting here waiting for this dumbass to shut up and give us our assignments, so I will have something to do._

I pressed the send button and flipped my phone closed again. I was oddly fidgety for the next few minutes, for some reason barely able to contain my anticipation for his reply.

After what was probably about three minutes, but felt like a lot longer, my phone buzzed again and I instantly snapped it open and hungrily read down the message, wondering why this was suddenly so important.

_Haha. Knowing you, you are probably knowledgeable enough to teach the class yourself. Hey, what do you want to do next Monday? I have something I want to talk about, but we can go anywhere._

I frowned slightly, wondering what he would want to talk about so badly that he would announce it ahead of time.

_Well…I know the owner of a bar that will let us in. They have live music and stuff, so I go there a lot. Al likes it there too, so it can't be too bad, eh? They also have the best pizza on the face of the planet._

I smiled while writing the message, thinking about how it had been a while since I'd been to my old haunt. Again, I couldn't seem to wait patiently for his response and rushed to see it, moving so quickly that a few students around me looked over to se what the fuck I was doing. I just growled at them and went back to reading the text.

_A bar? Naughty Edward, you aren't old enough to drink. Then again, neither am I. So, I guess that's fine. _

The texting went on like this for the rest of the day, and I knew that the cell phone bill this month was going to be obnoxious, but it didn't stop me. I made a mental note to start looking into unlimited texting plans.

While I was talking to Roy, the normally boring school day just flew by. It wasn't as if we were saying much, either. Just chatting about nothing was enough to make time move faster.

I wondered what this feeling was called.

**~0x0~**

PLEASE REVIEW!

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

GlompinMuffin- Well, the Cullens are pixie wannabes….what self respecting vampire would actually sparkle?

cynder81- Yeah, I guess Roy was surprised because Ed was acting like a prude.

Deikuru- I am glad that I make you laugh. I try hard to make the story funny.

black-klepon- Ahaha, yeah, fire+trees older than my whole family line= Roy's dream. Too bad it didn't happen, eh?

shadowX101- Yeah, no make out scene. I can't put in too many of those, or the story will get a bit skewed.

Stereophonic Aftershock- I love Famous Last Words…and Blood. XD


	23. Daiquiris And Dances

I will warn you now, I am in a strange sort of mood while writing this AN, so it will be _**LONG**_. Unless you wanna sit through all my random thoughts, I suggest you skip to the story.

Barry is my favorite Villain, but he also kinda wasn't a total bad guy sometimes, sorta. So, yeah.

Also, IHATELIVEJOURNAL. For various time consuming reasons. Just thought you should know.

Alsoalso, Random Question(s) Time (Mostly to get longer reviews out of my readers). Is it just me, or do you want to befriend all of your favorite authors/artists? Like, talk to them to try and see how they think, where all that beautiful stuff comes from. I sure as hell do. Do any of you ever feel that way? Do any of you read doujinshi? Because I am obsessed and officially have the biggest doujin file collection out of all my friends. Not that I have many friends, but still. Also, do any of you draw? If you do, you should PM me with links so I can see. Would any of you be interested in seeing my drawings? (They suck, but Ed is in a skirt in one of the older ones. I think there is a link on my profile.)

Alsoalsoalso, My beta is officially back in business, so you may see a couple minor tweaks in previous chapters as she has gone over them for me now. Mostly just grammar, but I thought I would let you know.

I dunno, listening to Owl City makes me think about strange things. Anyway. On with the show.

**~0x0~**

"I can't help but feel that I am becoming a juvenile delinquent due to your influence."

We pulled up in front of a building that looked fairly innocent, with a fairly innocent, if not slightly weird neon sign to boot.

_THE CHOPPER_

_Drinks, Music, and Fellowship_

What signaled that this might not be the most quality of places was the bouncer out front that rivaled Armstrong in size and the fact that the windows were so dark that you couldn't actually see inside the place.

"This is called having a life, Roy. With all the perverted escapades you've had, I'm amazed that you've never been to a bar before."

"To be fair, most of the girls that used to keep me company weren't exactly the wild type."

"That's because none of the girls that you dated had the capacity to think beyond fawning over you."

Edward got out of the car, and I followed suit, slightly uncomfortable with the thought of being here. But, Ed had mentioned Alphonse coming here, so I told the cautious side of me to shut up and go with the flow.

Of course, that did nothing to calm my nerves. I was prepared to ask my question, I had even gone out of my way to call Maes and ask for his help. But, for some reason, the butterflies in my stomach just refused to settle down.

As we walked up to the entrance, Ed nodded to the giant, serious looking man and stopped to talk to him.

"Hey, Loa. How's the part time job going?"

The giant of a man looked past Ed to me, and I was very proud of myself for not flinching.

"Who's that?" he asked, completely ignoring Ed's greeting.

"Some schmuck I picked up."

The man, 'Loa', swiveled his gaze to Edward again and raised an eyebrow. "Gonna be problems?" The sentence seemed like both a question and a statement at one time, which I thought was fairly impressive, considering those two concepts don't usually mesh.

"Nope." Ed shook his head to emphasize this fact and looked straight into the bigger man's eyes. For almost a full thirty seconds this staring match continued, each trying to communicate something to the other, and finally, the older man nodded and backed off.

The bouncer looked back at me and narrowed his eyes. "No trouble. No talking."

I just nodded, because that was more dignified than pissing on myself.

Ed motioned for me to follow him through the door, and I readily went along with that, eager to be away from The Friendly Neighborhood Badass.

As we entered the building, the music playing overhead switched from the ending lines of Framing Hanley's version of _Lollipop_ to One Republic's _Everybody Loves Me_. I was silently impressed at how much knowledge of music I had picked up since I began dating Edward.

The bar looked as I imagined it would, dim and smoky, with pool tables and darts in a far corner, tables littered around what could vaguely be interpreted as a dance floor, the actual bar along one wall and a stage on the opposite wall. The music was being played just a tad too loud for my tastes, but it wasn't unbearable, and the patrons seemed to be keeping down to a dull murmur. Fortunately, nobody turned to look at us as I followed Edward, who was making a beeline for the bar.

I leaned over a bit and spoke to Edward in a soft voice, slightly paranoid about drawing attention to myself.

"What did that guy mean by 'no talking'?"

"He means, don't tell anybody that they let you in without marking your hand." Ed replied in an equally hushed tone.

"Marking my hand?" I repeated, slightly confused.

"Yeesh, you don't even know about that? A bar, or anyplace that serves alcohol as their main attraction, is supposed to somehow differentiate minors from the legal adults before they are let in. At this particular place, they mark your hand with permanent marker 'X's."

"But…he didn't do that."

"No shit, Sherlock. Which is why he said 'no talking.' In other words, don't go running your mouth about them breaking the law to let us in."

"Oh." That was all I could say, really. Most of the time, I felt like I was the one between the two of us that had more common sense and worldly knowledge, mostly because I was older, I could drive, I had a legal job, etc. But, here he seemed to be showing me up in the smarts department, which left me feeling an odd mixture of annoyance and pride. As we took our seats at two bar stools, I wondered why they went through the trouble of forgoing the 'X's when they could have been much safer to just mark us away.

After a second or two, a bar tender came up to us and grinned.

"Why, hello Edward. Been a while. You look imposing in all your three foot tall glory, as usual."

"Hey, Barry." Ed gritted out. "You are asking for a fist down your throat, as usual."

I was astounded that Edward was allowing this guy to continue drawing breath after calling him short. Guess that went to show how much he actually liked this place.

Ed's comment just made the guy grin wider, and then he turned to me. For a minute, he just looked at me, to size me up, I guess, and I took the opportunity to do the same.

He was blonde, with close-cropped hair, a little on the skinny side. He wore a sleeveless shirt and jeans, which I thought to be pretty tacky, but I obviously knew nothing about bar etiquette, so I dismissed it. All in all, not intimidating in the least. Until one looked close, and took notice of the muscles in his arms that only seemed to show when he moved, but were obviously used to working. Or the gleam in his eyes that kind of made me want to laugh, and kind or made me want to run, and definitely told me that this guy was walking the fine line of insanity.

Or, if someone didn't have enough time to take in those minor details, maybe the rather large butcher's knife strapped to his belt would let them know they should be wary.

"Who's this?" He asked, without taking his eyes off me.

"My ride." Ed answered just a bit too quickly.

"Huh. Well, any friend of Ed's is a paycheck of mine. Name's Barry."

I nodded at him, not offering to shake for fear of catching his crazy. "Roy."

Barry turned back to Ed, seemingly bored with me now.

"Well. Since your brother isn't with you this time, I guess you will be having the usual."

"Yup. And he'll have a Coke." Ed jerked his thumb toward me.

Barry just nodded and went off to get whatever Ed had just ordered.

"Hey. I can order for myself, you know."

"Yeah, but you always get the same thing. I don't think I've ever seen you drink anything besides Coke."

"I-I just like it." I defended.

"How you manage to drink that stuff constantly and still have fairly white teeth and not gain a hundred pounds never fails to amaze me."

"I take good care of myself."

Ed opened his mouth to respond, but the bartender came back with our drinks, handing me a coke can and a glass with ice in it, to which I cocked my head.

Barry shrugged. "Some people like it better in a can. Plus, you get twelve ounces there, where you would only get seven or eight from a regular glass." He then gave Ed the other glass he was carrying and walked off, saying something about telling him when we wanted pizza. Apparently, they didn't serve anything else here.

I eyed Ed's beverage suspiciously. It could have been a slushie, but considering the current locale, I didn't think that was the case.

"Ed, are you drinking alcohol?"

"Yup. The people here know I can handle it. Besides, it's not like I'm downing hard liquor, and I don't get to have these when I bring Al here because he would have a heart attack. And I made sure to have my designated driver with me," He kicked my chair for emphasis. "So, could you please not bitch at me for it?"

I studied him for a moment, still amazed at his ability to surprise me.

"I'm not angry with you, Ed." I said, voice low. "I'm glad you trust me enough to be around me with alcohol in your system. And I'd rather be here to take you home than let you go by yourself." I gave him a smile to let him know that it really wasn't going to be a problem.

It was quiet for a moment, with him blushing and looking away while I simply admired him. At first, I'd thought him to be an angel, but steadily he was proving to be more man than myth.

I wondered why that seemed to make my heart beat faster.

"Can I have a sip?"

"Huh?" Ed started.

"Your drink. I want a taste."

"Oh...yeah, if it's just a little. Not like daiquiris have much alcohol content anyway..."

He held his drink aloft, and I moved my head so I could take a drink, all the while trying not to blush. Sharing drinks seemed like a very couple-y thing to do.

As soon as the flavor hit my tongue, it was gone, Edward yanking the glass back, and while it was hard to tell in the low light, I thought he was blushing. I blinked several times, partially due to Ed's reaction, partially because of the extreme tartness of the strawberry concoction that I'd just swallowed.

We were quiet for a moment more, both sipping our drinks, embarrassed.

_'Well...I may as well say what I came to say, before he gets tipsy.'_

"Ed, listen." He turned toward me, amber eyes swirling slowly, their tides a gentle pull.

"I said before that I wanted to talk about something. I just...I wanted to ask-"

Before I could continue, I was cut off by stage lights flaring to life on the other end of the room, followed by several people hooting and hollering.

The music that had been playing overhead suddenly cut off and a disembodied voice that sounded suspiciously like Barry (who was no where to be seen) sounded on the speakers.

"Please give a big round of applause for the best Queen impersonation band in the tri-state area, Reina!"

And at that, a bunch of slightly overweight, middle aged guys in black spandex stormed onto the stage. What I guessed to be the lead singer took center stage and started babbling out introductions about ten decibels too loud into the mike.

"Reina? Isn't that just 'Queen' in Spanish?"

I looked to Edward again to find him leaning back on the bar and talking to Barry, who had magically re-appeared out of nowhere.

"Well, they aren't playing original songs, so why bother coming up with an original name?" came the nonchalant reply.

"I guess. Are they any good?" Ed asked.

"Hell if I know."

"For their sakes, I hope so. If they start fucking up Freddie Mercury's legacy, heads will roll."

Finally, the band started their set, beginning with one of my personal favorites, _Killer Queen_.

Surprisingly, these guys weren't half bad. Reina certainly wasn't the best thing I'd ever seen, but they put on a very enjoyable show, and by the end of the third song, I was clapping and singing along with everyone else.

During the short intermission, Ed ordered what turned out to be the best damn pizza I'd ever tasted, though the experience was somewhat dampened when Barry proudly regaled me with the mildly psychotic tale of how he sliced the meat himself.

Reina wrapped up their act with a pretty awesome rendition of _Bohemian Rhapsody _that had everyone in the bar standing and cheering. (Ed was especially loud-I'd failed to notice how many daiquiris he'd gone through, but I was fairly certain that it had been one too many.)

After the band said their goodbyes and left the stage, I told Barry that my belligerent blonde counterpart had consumed quite enough for one night. Ed, surprisingly enough, agreed with me. He insisted on paying, and I let him, because he was positively adorable when buzzed.

I was a bit worried that I might not get to continue our conversation from earlier, but Edward handled getting out his wallet and counting the bills well enough, so I figured he wasn't too far gone.

As we walked to the car, I was further encouraged by the fact that he could still walk without stumbling, and I decided to just go for it.

Once we were in, I made sure he was awake enough to talk and proceeded to broach the subject.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"I know you are a little...out of it, but if we talk about something important, you will be able to remember it in the morning, won't you?"

He snorted. "Please, Roy. I'm admittedly a little drowsy right now, but I'm not nearly to the point of experiencing memory loss." The statement was subject to some speculation, as he had slurred half the words, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and nodded.

"Good. Well, I tried to bring this up earlier, but I kinda got cut off."

"Oh yeah. What did you wanna ask?"

"I, uh, I just wanted to know if..."

When I nervously trailed off, Ed cocked his head and blinked, looking very much like a confused puppy. His current cuteness made me smile, warming me from the inside and helping to melt away my nerves.

"I wanted to know if you would go to the Winter Dance with me." I said with what I hoped was a neutral voice. I didn't want him to know that I was literally holding my breath for his answer.

Slowly, one golden eyebrow raised, and uncertainty swam to the surface of his eyes.

"What happened to your paranoia of people finding out about us?"

"I know, I already took that into account. I've already talked to Maes about it. He said he'd come up with something to cover for us, as long as we kept it low key...Of course, that's irrelevant if you don't want to go."

Under the cover of night, it was hard to tell if he was blushing, or just a bit flushed from the alcohol.

"I-I've never danced in my life." He stuttered, looking much more awake now.

I smirked. "Dork. The point of going to a dance isn't dancing, it's...bonding."

Edward rolled his eyes in a slow amber circle. "Is that what they call it nowadays?"

"Ed, I'm serious. I don't give a damn about dancing-in fact, it's probably better if we don't. I just...want to take my boyfriend to a dance. I want to go with you."

For a moment, Ed just looked at me, as if searching for any indication that I might be lying. I guess whatever he saw was satisfactory, because he looked away shyly.

"I guess I have time to spare...I'll have to check in with work though..."

I stiffened. "Oh, yeah. I guess it is going to be on a Friday, huh? I didn't even think about that. Ed, if you can't make it, that's fi-"

The words came to a halt when two calloused fingers came to rest on my lips.

"It's okay. Since I have more notice, this time it wont be a problem. It'll work out." Ed gazed at me softly for a moment before he seemed to realize the position he was in. He gave a disgruntled shake of his head and put some space between the two of us.

"So..." I continued, after getting my heart rate down to an acceptable pace. "It won't be a problem for you?"

"Nope."

"Then...you will go?" I finished hopefully.

"Yeah...on one condition."

"And that is?"

"I don't own anything even remotely related to formal wear, and I don't know the first thing about dress codes...So, you have to take me out to find something to wear."

A chuckle rose in my throat and tumbled out before I could stop it. At Ed's sharp look, I held up my hands.

"You know, I've had girlfriends ask me to take them dress shopping in the past, and I have always done my best to weasel out of it."

"I'm not your fucking gal pal, and I am sure as hell not going to wear a dress."

And at _that _mental image, I bust out laughing, partially because imagining Ed in a dress was hilarious, partially to help hide the sudden odd arousal that the thought brought with it.

"Shut up, Bastard. Are you gonna take me shopping-not for a dress!-or not?"

I shook my head, letting the last few chuckles die away, before I started the engine.

"As you wish."

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

RomiofAmestria- Nothing's wrong with you, I am glad you reviewed at all. ^_^

Deikuru- It did accomplish what I needed, though I personally enjoyed this chapter much more than the last one.

Stereophonic Aftershock- Yeah, Ed doesn't care about the minutes (or money) wasted if it is something that interests him.

black-klepon- I am looking forward to the dance too. ^_^ (And Ed can be pretty dense sometimes.)

cynder81- Yeah, slowly but surely, Ed's feelings are evolving.

tmmdeathwishraven- Hughes is definitely the smartest one. Roy and Ed are just a little slow sometimes.

shadowX101- I am glad you liked it!

xxRavensWingxx- I am so happy to hear that! I try to keep this story light hearted...more fun to write that way. ^_^ And yeah, I will probably expand on Hughes a little more, as he is one of my absolute favorite characters.

lil; fayri grrl- Wow! Thank you so much for the reviews! It always make me happy when someone says they like my story. A gay guy, huh? *giggle* I don't take offense to that, because I _am _gay...or bi, at least. But, as to whether or not the 'guy' part is right...I wont tell. *smile*

DrawerDiary- Wow, you really did have some catching up to do. But, I am glad you enjoyed it. The last few chapters have been a tiny bit darker than the rest of this story, so I wanted to focus on a different aspect of it for a little while...I hope you continue to read!

AnimeLuvv- I am so happy to know that I make you smile. ^_^

Rei Kiele- Boobs are fantastic, this is true. And yeah, slowly their relationship is progressing. ^_^; Hopefully Ed wont slow it down too much.

Natsuki Amane- I am glad you are enjoying it!

Joe- *stunned* Wow, I am so happy you like my writing! And thank you for such high praise!


	24. Monkey Suit

Hey guys. Sorry, it's been a little while, but by now we all know that I am a horrible author with no drive, only motivated by reviews. I haven't gotten a whole lot of them lately, so it was kinda hard for me to draw inspiration. T^T But! Let it never be said that I left it hanging, because here it is! I'm planning on the next chapter being the dance, so we have that to look forward to. ^_~

As always, please enjoy and _review_! It makes me update faster!

**~0x0~**

"No way, Ed. I'm not your valet, alright? I'm not coming and going at your beck and call."

"Arrgh, Winry..." I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying in vain to drown out the noise buzzing in the air around us. Malls suck.

"Look, you want a ride to your date, you'd better not expect to being going alone."

"It isn't a date, dammit. He's just gonna help me find a suit."

Winry smiled that evil smile that all women seemed to have at their disposal, but I could never replicate to save my life.

"So. You. Dancing. How about that?"

I shook my head. "I was drunk when I agreed to go."

"Whatever, loverboy. The fact remains that you are going with a boy to a dance."

"Do you have to make it so gay sounding?"

"Don't forget the glass slippers, Cinderella." She cooed, batting her eyelashes.

I rolled my eyes and lamented the fact that I could get away from my brother for an afternoon without much fuss, but I sure as hell couldn't shake Winry once she'd decided her presence was needed.

"So." She leaned in closer to me, putting her arms on the shitty mall food court table and making it tilt dangerously. "Tell me more about this guy."

"There's nothing to tell." I looked away, hoping that she would just drop it.

Of course, since she suffered from the horrible ailment known as _estrogen, _she didn't. I began to wonder if some dudes went gay, not because they liked guys, but because they didn't want to deal with chicks. It sure sounded like a decent idea.

"Oh, come on. I want to know more about this man among men, this conqueror of hearts, this dude that obviously has a death wish. Or maybe it's a mental defect and he simply can't tell that you're a dangerous beast."

I sighed, choosing to ignore her less-than-sharp wit and gave her a dry look.

"Fine. What more could you possibly want to know that I haven't already told you? And please keep it short, Roy will be here soon."

"Is he hot?"

"How am I supposed to answer that? Judging someone's 'hotness' is a completely subjective activity."

"Well, do _you _think he's hot?"

"He's...he's alright." I muttered, hoping to hell that I wasn't blushing.

Winry giggled, the sound chiming out like a bell among the constant buzzing of our surroundings. It made me smile just a little. Honestly, she was one of the most annoying people I knew, but she had the uncanny ability to make me feel better no matter how bad it was, and she made me think about things in ways I never had before. I would always remember how happy I was when I heard that she would be moving from Resembool to Central, because she was good for me. Winry was a great friend.

"So, have you two done the nasty yet?"

Then again, Winry was an embarrassing, brown nosing, insensitive bitch that I would have liked to throw off a cliff as well.

"T-That's none of your business!" I yelled, drawing a few curious looks from people nearby.

She huffed. "You're no fun."

"Whatever." I crossed my arms and looked away. She just grinned and sat up straight again.

We sat and waited for a while longer, and just as I was getting impatient, I saw a dark head of hair come from around the corner and swivel back and forth, looking for us. I quashed the weird surge of giddy excitement that always seemed to happen when he was around now and stood up and waved, hoping to catch his attention. He noticed me, and he began to bob and weave through the crowd to make his way toward us.

He came to a stop a couple feet away from me, obviously waiting for me to introduce him to this mysterious girl sitting with me. I ignored the slight annoyance I felt at the space between us and smirked at him.

"Took you long enough, Bastard."

"Sorry. My mother wouldn't stop babbling at me." He looked at me warmly for a moment, then turned to Winry. "And who is your lovely friend?"

I snorted at his stupid, romantic nice guy act. "Bastard, this is my surrogate sister and apparent fashion director, Winry," I jerked my thumb towards Roy. "Winry, this is my dumbass boyfriend, Roy."

Winry stood up and offered her hand, which Roy promptly shook. "It's nice to meet you Roy! I've heard so much about you."

"Only good things, I hope?" Roy smiled, his eyes glittering with a hidden laugh. Yet again, I had to stomp down on my emotions when I realized that the smile was not being shared with me. Damn, this boyfriend stuff was exhausting.

"Well, good by Ed's standards, anyway. I hope you don't mind if I join you on your little adventure. I have to take pictures of Ed in a suit, so I can assure myself that none of this is a dream when I wake up tomorrow."

The Bastard chuckled and turned to me, one eyebrow raised. "I take it formal wear isn't your thing?"

I just shook my head and huffed.

He smirked his patented asshole smirk. "Well, then. The more the merrier."

**~0x0~**

This was a fancy fucking store if I had ever seen one. Honestly, there was no reason for a store in the mall to have chandeliers. That was just...obnoxious. And why was it that any place that had a stupid sounding French name charged fifty percent more than all the other places?

I stood in the entrance and just raised an eyebrow at Roy, to which he shrugged.

Winry obviously knew exactly where she was going, because she walked right past the dorky greeter guy without a second glace and went straight for the back of the store. I just shook my head and followed, resigned to the fact that the next hour was going to be torture.

We arrived at a section with suits lined up all long the wall, and absolutely nothing actually on the floor. Apparently, Wal-Mart style clothes racks weren't good enough for this place.

I took one look at all of the torture devices disguised as clothes, located the one with the least amount of layers and random decoration and pointed at it.

"That one."

It was kind of funny to watch both Winry and Roy snap their heads in the direction I was pointing, narrow their eyes at it, then turn to the other. They looked at each other, communicating in that eye-speak language that I had yet to master, then they both turned to me.

"No." Came the deadpan reply in unison, which was amazingly creepy.

Immediately, they both chose an end of the wall and started picking and choosing things without my input or consent. Every time I tried to pick something out, Roy would shake his head, and Winry would shoo me away, so eventually I just sat down in one of the hoity toity love seats that seemed to litter this place.

After what seemed like a lifetime, but was probably more like twenty minutes, the dynamic fashion duo walked over to me with about ten different suits that all looked like they would be way too much for a simple high school dance.

"There's no way in hell I am trying all of that shit on." I crossed my arms over my chest and growled at the stupid bits of fabric.

"Well, if you prefer, we can pick out some nice items from over there." Roy said, gesturing with his head and elbow, since his arms were full.

I followed the movement and cringed. I narrowed my eyes at the flowing gowns covered in sequins and rhinestones, then turned back to my boyfriend and leveled him with a deadly glare.

"Not. Wearing. A. Dress."

"Then perhaps you should start trying on suits, before we force you into a miniskirt." Winry chirped, holding out an armful of heavy looking clothes.

"Dammit." I grabbed all the stuff they gave me and toted it all into a dressing room that was surprisingly small, considering the type of place I was in. I hung up each suit, not wanting to wrinkle anything, lest the designer gods strike me down. I rolled my eyes upon realizing that this store actually used wooden hangers for their merchandise, rather than the plastic ones that department stores used.

As I took the first, and most basic one down and began to undress, I was a little worried about what Roy and Winry were talking about. They seemed to get along really well, and I knew both of them had embarrassing stories to tell about me. I hoped they weren't gossiping like housewives.

I looked down at myself once I had my pants off and realized that perhaps boxers were not the best choice of undergarments when one was going to try on formal stuff. I shrugged and got into the pants relatively easily, despite the fact that my boxers bunched up like a bitch, but once I got to the shirt, I started to question the sanity of the businessmen and celebrities that wore these monkey suits all the time. Way too many effing buttons.

As I fiddled with the stupid fastenings, I started thinking about the complications of formal wear, which led to thinking about the bother of dances, which led to thinking about the horrible experience of asking _Greed _of all people if I could go to the damn thing in the first place.

I shuddered at the memory.

**~0x0~**

_"Yo, Greed."_

_He turned his beady little eyes toward me and grinned a toothy grin. _

_"What, Brat?"_

_"I gotta talk to you about something." I gestured toward a door on the west wall of HQ. _

_When this place was still being used as a warehouse, the room behind that door would have served as a break room for workers, but now it was essentially Greed's office._

_Greed looked toward the group that he'd been playing cards with (Dorochet, Loa, Marta-go figure) and shared a look with them then shrugged._

_"Sure, kid."_

_He got up and put his hands in his pockets after waving a dismissive hand to the Chimera Triplets, who had started to get up with him._

_We went into the office, and Greed sat on the desk, narrowly avoiding putting his ass on the keyboard of his computer._

_I remained standing, and shuffled a bit, unsure of how to broach the subject without sounding like an idiot._

_"What's up?" He cocked his head to the side, then started looking at his fingernails._

_"Uh...I have a request."_

_"And that is?"_

_"I need a Friday night off, about a month from now."_

_His expression darkened._

_"Damn, kid, you really don't learn, do you? Don't you remember what happened to you the last time you asked for something stupid like that?"_

_"I know, I know. I just...rescheduling this is kinda out of my hands."_

_He looked at me over the rims of the stupid sunglasses that he always wore, even inside._

_"What could possibly be so important that you would take a beating for it?"_

_"My school is having...I've been asked to go to a dance."_

_Greed burst out laughing. "Yeah, okay. What's the real reason?"_

_I just stared at him, unamused._

_Slowly, he seemed to realize that I wasn't kidding. "You're serious? _You _got asked to a dance? And you actually want to go?"_

_I took a deep breath through my mouth and let it out through my nose. "Yeah."_

_The older man tilted his head away from me slightly, still looking at me from the corner of his eye. "Is Noa going?"_

_"I have no idea."_

_"Well, she is now. And so are you."_

_I cocked my head to show my confusion._

_Greed smiled a smile that was pure evil, put his hands together, and looked at me over his glasses again, although this time they held no small amount of sadistic pleasure._

_"Kids want to have fun at dances right? Get together with their friends, feel awesome, with very little supervision. It's perfect."_

_A cold, slimy feeling settled into the pit of my stomach as I began to understand why Greed was suddenly so amenable to the idea. _

_"It's been kinda quiet from your end for a month or two, but this could really help out. Set up some meetings, tell them that prom night is gonna be wicked."_

_"It isn't a prom..."_

_"Whatever. A dance is a dance. You can get stuff to them and get money from them real easy there. In fact..."_

_He reached behind his back and felt around for a second before opening a drawer and taking out an unlabeled pill bottle and shaking it a bit._

_"Kids love to get high on ecstasy at parties. Be sure to spread the word that you will have some available."_

_I nodded, completely numb at this point to the underground dealings of the gang._

_"I'll talk to you and Noa about specifics once you guys have gotten a good idea about how many people will be interested."_

_ I just nodded again and began to walk out, knowing a dismissal when I heard one._

_"Oh, and Ed?"_

_I turned and looked over my shoulder at him. From my new angle, his face was half hidden, covered in shadow, and he looked more like a demon than a man, his glasses flashing along with a deadly, wicked smile._

_"Have fun at the dance."_

**~0x0~**

I felt a little nauseous. So far, I'd been pretty good about keeping Roy and the gang separate, but somehow I had wound up working on our date night.

I was pretty sure that I would've rather taken the beating.

Maybe it would be different if Roy weren't the Student Council President. I knew that he really worked hard, despite his best efforts to pretend that he didn't, and he really had a lot put into the state of the school. And I was going to aid in ruining that right under his nose.

I was startled from my musings and jumped a bit when I heard Winry's voice sound from outside the door.

"Hey, Ed! Are you done in there? Hurry up and come out, we wanna see!"

I huffed and muttered under my breath about pushy girls and quickly threw on the suit jacket and opened the door.

Both Roy and Winry, who were waiting on the same love seat (once again, I stomped on the surge of strange jealous possessiveness at the sight), looked up from whatever they were talking to each other about as I walked out.

"Ugh, I can't believe you are making me do this fashion show shit...anyway, this is the best one, so can we leave now?"

Winry pursed her lips, and I knew that I wasn't going to get away that easily.

Dammit.

"Well...It isn't _bad_, but...I think there are better choices in there."

"Come on, this is fine. Plus, it's the cheapest."

"I already told you, money is no object, Ed." Roy piped up.

"And I already told _you _that I am not letting you buy me crap like this."

"At least let me help you pay for it. It's my fault that you are being subjected to this in the first place, so that will make us even."

"Fine. Just...whatever. Let me get out of it so we can pay for it then." I turned toward the dressing room.

"Hold it!" Winry stood, looking slightly frustrated. "I know that is not the best one in there. If you are getting financial assistance anyway, you may as well go for the best one."

Roy nodded sagely, as if the nonsense she was spouting was timeless wisdom.

"But, I-" Roy rolled his eyes and stood up as I spoke, taking me by the shoulders and pushing me toward the dressing room.

"I'll help him, so we can get out of here some time this year."

I heard Winry giggle from somewhere behind me. "Don't make too much noise, now."

He forcibly dragged me into the room and closed the door behind us.

"Wha-no-wait, let me go, dammit! I don't need any help!"

"You obviously need direction in this."

"B-but...I'm going to be changing!" I heard myself squeak out the last word and cleared my throat, hoping I didn't sound like a girl.

He smirked. "So? We are both guys. Plus, I have already seen you half naked anyway..."he trailed off a bit then, as if in remembrance. This led me to thinking about that night at the motel, which led me to think about what I had _done in bed _while thinking about that night at the hotel, which led to heat spreading across my cheeks and threatening to reach lower. I shook my head to clear it of stupid thoughts and glared at this stupid guy who seemed to have stolen my ability to regulate my own body.

I noticed with a bit of vindictive satisfaction and yet another surge of awkward heat that he'd colored up a bit too. "Yeah. So, get to it. And, my, what a roomy place they've provided us with, I'm only mostly suffocating. Do try not to flail too much, I'd hate it if you unmanned me."

"Who are you calling so small that he can't reach above your co-you know what!"

Roy shook his head.

"Just shut up and get out of that while I figure out which one of these would look the best, so we don't have to stay in here for much longer."

Slowly, my hands moved to comply, going through the motions of undoing the buttons unconsciously. I tried not to move too much, and desperately turned my mind down any alley that would not lead me to blushing even more.

Once I had stripped down to my boxers, I put my hands on my hips, trying to show Roy that I wasn't embarrassed.

Of course, the bastard just smirked.

He eyed me for a second, leaving me feeling even more naked than I already was. Roy's face was still a bit flushed, but his eyes were unreadable as ever. I wondered what he was thinking.

I was startled from my musings when I felt something press against my chest. Looking down, I saw Roy's hand holding a hanger, his knuckles resting just below my collarbones.

I snatched the suit out of his hands and looked away, noticing the heavy silence that had come over us for the first time. I started by putting the pants on, eager to cover myself. Funny how flimsy pieces of cloth seemed like the best armor at times like these.

I got the shirt on, blushing again (goddammit!) when Roy reached around me and put the jacket over my shoulders. Once I had gotten my arms in the sleeves, I turned to look at the result in the floor to ceiling mirror that covered the back wall of the dressing room.

"It looks fantastic," my boyfriend stated from behind me.

I had to agree. Roy had picked out a nice black and red number, the richly colored shirt contrasting nicely with the dark suit jacket. There was nothing too special about the fastenings, which I sort of liked. It gave the whole thing a crisp, modern feel.

I nodded, and caught Roy's corresponding smile in the mirror. I watched him as he watched me and for once, his eyes weren't quite as closed off. In them, I could see happiness, a touch of desire, and something powerful lurking around the edges that seemed to elude my grasp every time I tried to catch and identify it.

I found that I sort of liked that look.

I mentally sighed, resigning myself to spending an exorbitant amount of money on this, knowing that I couldn't resist now that I'd seen that look in his eyes.

I shrugged off the jacket and turned around, hanging it on one of the many hooks that jutted out of the wall for a second, while I changed.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to show Winry?"

"Nope." I shook my head for emphasis. "Despite her good points, Winry is still female. Which means she will fawn over me and keep us here for another hour."

Roy chuckled, the deep sound bouncing off the walls in the small space, and causing that damnable heat to rear it's ugly head again.

As I started to take the shirt off, I began to have some trouble. My hands were oddly sweaty, and I fumbled with each button, cursing under my breath after three or four of them.

Suddenly, another set of hands were working with mine, surely and deftly conquering the buttons, putting each into their proper place. I opened my mouth to protest, eyes swiveling upward to look at him, but for some reason, the words just wouldn't come. Roy's hair obscured most of his face as he bent over a bit and looked down, his focus solely on my shirt. His eyes followed the path that his hands took, working upward while I stayed frozen, held by some unseen force.

Slowly, button-by-button, he raised his head. As he finished with the last rouge fastening, his eyes met mine.

The _look _that passed between us was something straight out of a dime store novel. For a moment, it felt like the whole world stopped, and I was fairly certain that my heart stopped with it. Everything around us seemed to fade, until all I could focus on was him. His irises were dark, deep, and intense. Normally, light seemed to bounce off the surface of his eyes, a weapon hurled back at whoever he was talking to, unable to penetrate the cold, hard onyx. But now, he seemed to have taken down those walls, letting the ambient luminescence come in and play, refracting of the myriad of facets that I had never noticed before. For once, I could actually differentiate the pupil from it's surroundings, and I noticed that his eyes were actually a very dark blue, like the night sky, back in Resembool. I distantly wondered what he was seeing in my own countenance.

We held the _look _for what seemed like forever. Then, he blinked and the spell was broken. His eyes shuttered off again, his expression shifting from serious and intense to humorous and he let out a small, amused snort. That sound took the liberty of inviting that stupid freaking _heat _back over, and I could have sworn I was blushing from my head to my toes.

I coughed to cover my embarrassment, cursing my awkwardness. I jerkily striped off the rest of the suit and rushed to get into my clothes, hoping that my slight arousal had gone unnoticed.

I grabbed the hanger and stomped past Roy, out of the dressing room. I continued to walk right past Winry as she squawked indignantly. It took a minute for them to catch up with me, and the gear-head complained loudly while we made our way to the counter.

"Why didn't you come out so I could see it?"

"Didn't feel like it." I muttered.

"Ed!"

"Sorry, I think I got him a little riled up." Roy chimed in.

"What did you do?" She asked, sounding a little too interested.

"Nothing happened, Win." I rolled my eyes. "Get your head out of the gutter."

We paid for the suit (Actually, Roy paid for the suit with his credit card, since it was easier. He told me that I could give him whatever cash I felt was necessary to 'spare my pride' later. Bastard.) and left the store.

"Well, I have to go, I have some things that I have to get done before tomorrow." Roy announced. He swiftly glanced around then bent down and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

"See'ya 'round." He whispered in my ear, of course making me fucking blush. He threw a wink at Winry and walked off, waving as he went.

Winry giggled and waved back. She grinned at me and waggled her eyebrows like a retard, causing me to roll my eyes and blush even more (God fucking dammit!).

The whole way home, I sat sullenly in the passenger seat, muttering to myself about stupid, annoying boyfriends and stupid, annoying mechanics being on the same stupid, annoying mental wavelength, and dammit, why did I ever think that letting them meet would be a good idea?

**~0x0~**

To My Reviewers:

BowChicaWowWow18- XD Well, I am glad you liked it! Always happy to have new readers! (PS-If you are perverted for reading it, then I am super pervy for writing it. ^_~ Be proud.)

firedragonmaiden- Ed in a dress is a fun thought...^_^

black-klepon- Yay about the dance! Nope, Roy luffs the Coke.

Sterephonic Aftershock- Hehehe! Barry is fantastic. And nobody goes to a highschool dance to actually dance. XD

RomiofAmestria- I am glad you thought it was cute. ^_^

Kitsune-the-fox- Glad you liked it!

Deikuru- Well, was the shopping as fun as you thought it would be? Yeah, I never washed the 'x's off...*runs away*

cynder81- Yeah, I felt like Ed should have the advantage for once. ^_^

bloodtoburn- WOW! Your review made me blush. *huggle* Yesh, we can live just like the boys, and torment school children and order shitty coffe-syrup! XD


	25. Those Three Elusive Words

_R.I.P. Steve Jobs._

_**EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER READ AN AUTHOR'S COMMENT BEFORE, TAKE A MINUTE TO READ THE NEXT COUPLE PARAGRAPHS.**_

Part of this chapter is written as a songfic. You will understand why. However, rather than just integrating the lyrics, I wanted you to be able to read along with the music, so you can really understand the feelings I am trying to portray. It makes the whole experience better, trust me. So, I am going to put a special break into the story. It will look like this: ***~XxX~*** When you see that, you will know that it is time to start the song located here: www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=k_RT28Q3sJQ (The song is called Shine by The Morning Of)

Just read it slowly, in time with the music. Pace yourself. _Okay, you can stop reading and scroll to the story now, if you want to._

Roy is such a sap, really. But, I wanted this one to be moving somehow, which is why it took so damn long to write. Well, that and the DGM fans dish out a shitload of reviews. Damn mermaids won't leave me alone. And I've been sick. Life just sucks sometimes, I guess. Also-Roy's home life. I haven't quite decided what to do with that yet...I know that Brotherhood expands upon Roy's past a bit more than the original anime, but I still haven't finished it, and I'm not sure that I will be keeping it parallel...I probably won't even use the same characters. So...I made his parents up on my own. No Madame Christmas. Also-I have two stories with over 200 reviews! I am so happy, that I don't know what to do with myself...(Ed in a pinstripe suit is yummy.) PS-I actually like that stupid Cee Lo Green song. See the end of the chapter for an explanation on song choice. Ed is a good liar..._  
_**  
****~0x0~**

Nervous. I was so very nervous. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why.

It's not as if the event itself was anything special. I'd gone to at least two dances a year, every year since I was in 8th grade.

But, for some reason I was a little shaky as I put on my suit. I looked at myself in the mirror and frowned.

My hair was just right, not too formal, brushed back slightly with an attractive messy vibe to it. My suit was a very dark blue, with a nice white dress shirt underneath. All the accents were silver, and my tie was a dark, shimmery grey.

_'I look fine. No, scratch that, I look _damn _fine. I should be the picture of confidence. There's no reason for this.'_

But really, there was. Because I wasn't just going to a dance.

I was going to a dance with _Edward Elric_.

Holy crap.

Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined that things would turn out like this.

_'Man up, Roy. You asked him, he agreed. Happens all the time.'_

I nodded to my reflection and grabbed my keys.

As I walked downstairs, my mother assailed me.

"My, you look so handsome, Roy." she chirped. "Come, show your father." She took me by the elbow and tugged me toward the sitting room.

I internally rolled my eyes at the stupidity of this charade. We all knew that neither my mother, nor my father, particularly cared about what I was wearing, but the Mustang household had always been perceived as perfect, and we would all play our parts to keep the well-oiled machine of lies and facades running.

"Honey, don't you think your son looks just like you when you were younger?"

My father looked up from the paper he was reading, and narrowed his eyes at me over the rim of his reading glasses. We regarded each other for a moment and I had to admit, my mother was right. Unfortunately.

Jonathan Mustang looked very much like me (or I looked very much like him, as the case may be). He was serious, all angles, though he was broader than me in the torso. There were frown lines around his mouth, and a slight wrinkle around his eyes. His hair was all salt and pepper, still brushed back for military success, even though he had been home for a couple hours. His back was ramrod straight, making him seem much taller and more imposing than he actually was. He was the epitome of what a general in the military should look like.

After a moment, my father nodded. "Yes, Victoria." And with that, he turned his attention back to his paper. Not a word to me about whether or not I looked alright, a question about where I was going, nothing. No interest at all. Why even bother having kids if you are just going to pretend to be a real father long enough to be publicly acceptable?

I made sure to keep my emotions off my face as I muttered a "Thank you, Father," and made my way to the door. As soon as I stepped outside, my mother gave me the perfect smile of a perfect trophy wife.

"Have a nice time dear." And then she slammed the door in my face.

**~0x0~**

I sat on the next street over from Ed's for about five minutes, because I was still fuming over my parent's behavior. Once I'd managed to calm down a bit, I drove the rest of the way, and parked in front of the charming little house.

Perhaps it had something to do with the obvious apathy I'd been shown earlier, but I felt a pang of jealousy as I got out of the car and walked to the door. The house was small-just big enough to fit its inhabitants without feeling cramped. It certainly didn't have the subtle grandeur or gratuitous space that my house had. But this place felt like a _home_. Even from the outside, it looked warm and content. There was no tense atmosphere here, no need to pretend. It was something that I'd never really experienced myself.

I shook my head to clear it of stray thoughts and knocked on the door. Only after I'd brought my hand back to my side, did I think that might not have been such a good idea. I didn't know much about Ed's home life (though, I probably knew more about his than he knew about mine). I knew he lived with his brother, and two foster parents, but I didn't know if his guardians approved of me. Maybe they didn't like the fact that I was dating Ed. Maybe they didn't know. After all, we hadn't been, the last time I'd been here.

All my worries were blown away once I saw who opened the door, though.

Alphonse greeted me with his usual smile, the one that held more happiness and honesty than any I'd ever seen before.

"Roy! Come on in. Winry should be finished fiddling with Brother's hair in a minute."

"Thank you Alphonse." I stepped into the cozy entryway and stood politely with my hands behind my back. As per usual, I took inventory of my surroundings, because I am a paranoid person at heart. To my right and left, there were two arched doorways, one leading to what looked like a living room, the other leading to a rather large kitchen that also seemed to serve as a dining room. In front of me was a short hallway that ended with a closed door on one side, and a set of stairs that opened to a partially revealed second floor on the other.

A racket could be heard upstairs, and it made me smile.

"-and there's no reason for you to-OW! What was that for?"

"Be quiet, Ed! I'm almost done."

"Win! Stop! ARGGHHH! AL, SHE'S SCALPING ME!"

Alphonse sighed and ran a hand down his face.

"Just a day in the life from the Curtis household, eh?" a voice came from the kitchen, startling me.

The woman who'd greeted me the night we'd gone to the movies (more importantly, it was the first time I had kissed Edward) materialized out of nowhere and walked over to call up the stairs.

"ED! YOUR BED WARMER IS HERE!"

"HE'S NOT A BED WARMER, DAMMIT! HE'S A-Mmpgh!"

"We'll be right down, Mrs. Curtis!" Winry called cheerily.

The woman smiled and shook her head, then turned her attention to me. She marched over and thrust her hand out firmly.

"Well. Since you and Ed have obviously been seeing more of each other, I think it's time we get better acquainted. I'm Izumi Curtis."

I took her hand, giving it a firm shake. "Roy Mustang. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."

"Heh. Drop the formalities, kid. I've heard too much about you to be able to take the sweetheart act seriously."

"Uhh..." I colored up a bit.

"Teacher! Roy's a nice guy!" Alphonse interjected.

"Oh, I know he is. I'm just unable to process niceties from the boy your brother fantasizes about."

There was a thump on the stairs.

"I." Thump. "DON'T." Thump. "FANTASIZE." Thump, thump. "ABOUT." Thumpthumpthump. "HIM!"

And there he was, in all his glory.

Edward had on that lovely crisp suit, along with black dress shoes that I could have sworn had been shined. His hair was pulled into a ponytail at the base of his neck, and his long bangs seemed to have been tamed a bit to frame his face nicely (though that one rouge sprig of hair that I secretly adored had been left to stand up as it always did). His piercings had all been switched out, the normal silver (or platinum, or whatever) having been replaced by gold. The blue circle tattoo on the back of his hand peaked out from beneath his sleeves teasingly.

He looked sexy.

"So, did I do good?" I looked away from Ed, partially to see who was talking, partially to keep myself from drooling.

Winry stood at the top of the stairs, smirking evilly enough to give me a run for my money.

"Yeah, he actually looks like a productive member of society." I replied.

"Shut up, Bastard." I chuckled, while wondering when the word 'bastard' had become a term of endearment for us.

"Thanks, you look nice too."

Ed rolled his eyes and tried to walk out the door, only to be stopped by his brother. There was a brief tussle-something about pictures. Ed seemed to have almost gotten away until yet another person appeared out of nowhere and scared the crap out of me. The owners of this house must've secretly been ninjas.

"I've got the camera right here." The hulking man intoned. This guy was big and beefy and I just couldn't see how someone that size could move so quietly.

"Oh, thanks Honey." Mrs. Curtis beamed at him. "Roy, this is my husband, Sig."

I nodded at him, slightly dumbfounded. This was the most eclectic bunch of folks that I'd ever been around.

Mrs. Curtis shoved Edward next to me and Al straightened up and smiled. I pasted a grin on my face until the flash fired. I was fairly certain that Ed had stuck his tongue out. I shook my head at him, then turned to Alphonse.

"You aren't going?"

He flushed a bit. "Oh, no. Nobody to go with. I'm going to take this opportunity to get ahead on my homework."

"Alright. See you later, then." I looked over at Ed. "Ready to go?"

"Yup." He turned around without another word and opened the door to walk to my car. It was only when Winry called out to him that he turned and waved. I smiled at the group that was still in the house.

"I'll have him back before you have the chance to miss him."

**~0x0~**

"So...you...uh. Look, uh, good?"

I looked away from the road and briefly raised an eyebrow at my boyfriend.

He sighed. "Winry told me to comment on it. That suit's not bad though."

"Heh. Well, thanks for the sentiment. You, uh, kinda sorta, look, uh, okay-ish too." I teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Asshole."

"Listen, Ed." I waited until I knew he was paying attention."Thank you for coming with me. I mean it. I know it would have been easier for you not to do so."

Ed shrugged. As I glanced over to see his response (because Ed spoke with his body the same way he spoke with his mouth) I got mixed messages. He just shrugged, his body language speaking of slight embarrassment, but in his eyes swam a shadow that I really didn't like.

I filed it away for later contemplation. I didn't want to start our big night out by making him defensive about something.

"So, uh." I started, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. "Do you actually know how to dance?"

"Nope. I once went to a Summer Social with my mother when I was a kid, and I just stayed on the side lines. I imagine I will be doing the same tonight."

"Fine by me." I was looking forward to not feeling like I would have to stay in the spotlight and fawn over my date.

"We will have to keep some space between us though...once we get there, we need to find Hughes."

Ed nodded, the shadow in his eyes swirling about some more, as if it was laughing.

**~0x0~**

"Hughes!" I called out and waved to my friend.

"Hey, Roy."

We had pulled into the parking lot of the fancy dance hall that the school had rented and spotted Maes leaning against the building. As Hughes walked toward the car, Edward got out. My best friend whistled.

"You clean up nice Elric."

"Thanks, I guess?"

Hughes released a humorless chuckle and I immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Something bothering you, Maes?" I asked, concerned.

He ran an aggravated hand through his dark hair. "A little. I just...covering for you two was hard, and I'm not sure that I like the outcome."

"What do you mean?"

"I started a rumor that you guys were gonna come together as a couple of bachelors to try and help each other pick up chicks, because that sounds like something that you would do, or at least every one would assume that it was that way. But..." he trailed off.

"But?" I repeated, wondering where this was going.

"Somehow, the rumor mill turned it into some sort of charity case thing. Like...everyone thinks you are descending from on high to help the scum of the Earth out of pity, or something. Like Ed needs a babysitter and should feel privileged because of it."

I winced, and turned to my boyfriend. He looked a bit dejected, and perhaps a little angry, but mostly he just seemed resigned.

"Well," Edward began, after a couple moments of tense silence, "Can't do anything about it now. As long as we have a good reason to be there together, that's all that matters."

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, sort of surprised that he hadn't blown up over that.

Maes smiled sadly at us. "Obviously, you guys can't dance or hold hands or anything without outing yourselves, but you can hang out together. Just find me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Hughes." I called out to him as he walked away.

I turned to my date. "Shall we?"

Ed just nodded and walked around the car, making his way toward the entrance.

I followed him, making sure to keep my hands in my pockets, so I wouldn't be tempted to touch him. He opened the door and the two of us came into a small lobby. At the far end of the room, there was a tired looking guy in a plain suit that waved us over and asked for our tickets. Upon showing them, he opened a large set of double doors behind him and ushered us in.

We were a bit early. There weren't many people here yet, but all of them gave us sideways glances as we came in. I shook it off, hoping that the attention wouldn't continue through the night.

I pointed to a table in the corner, hoping that not being surrounded on all sides would help my slight anxiety. We sat down, and I hoped Hughes and his date would be nice enough to come sit with us, because the table was far too big for just two guys.

Ed shifted restlessly beside me. He looked really spaced out.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Huh?" His head snapped toward me. "Oh. Yeah. Just...I little nervous I guess. I've never done anything like this before."

"Don't worry about it. I get a little anxious at these sorts of things too."

Ed's eyes widened a bit. "Really? You?"

"Yup. I've learned to deal with it, but social pressure is always a factor."

"Huh...you get more and more human everyday..." Edward muttered, seemingly to himself.

I smiled at him, letting him know that I'd heard and chuckled when he blushed.

For a while there was a slightly uncomfortable silence between us. Just as I was opening my mouth in an attempt to start a conversation, there was a shift in the air. Suddenly, everything tensed, as if many people had sucked in a breath at the same time and held it. Looking over at my date, I saw that he was on edge. The shadow in his eyes that I'd seen earlier had intensified and spun about merrily. Those very same eyes were locked on a point across the room.

Following his gaze, I looked toward the door to try and see what he was glaring at. Finally, my eyes landed upon someone I recognized. Ed's friend with the lovely dark hair was making her way toward us.

_'What was her name again? Noa or something like that. I wonder why Ed seems so on edge...'_

"Ed?" I whispered to him, so she wouldn't hear as she got closer. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm gonna go talk to Noa for a sec, okay?" Without waiting for my response, he stood and went to intercept her. They chatted in hushed tones for a moment, then they walked over to the small punch bar together.

Well. There went my date. I sat around, feeling a bit snubbed.

I was about to stand and meander over in their direction, when Hughes randomly appeared out of nowhere, his girlfriend on his arm.

"Hello, Roy." she said.

I stood and gave an exaggerated bow. "My Lady." I replied, gesturing for them to sit down.

Gracia giggled. She always looked nice, but today she was especially lovely in a long purple number. She was older than her boyfriend-a college student. I think that extra couple of years gave her a lot more taste and refinement than most girls my age.

I rolled my eyes as Hughes pulled out a chair for her, trying to hide my slightly envious smile. Even though their relationship was a bit unconventional, I was secretly jealous of what Hughes had. They were in it for the long haul. I sort of shied away from thinking of my relationship with Ed in that light, because...I just wasn't sure. I knew my feelings, but I wasn't sure about my ability to stay attached and Edward seemed to be quite the romantic enigma. Everything involving Ed was so damn confusing.

I sighed out loud, not realizing I had done so until Gracia touched my hand in concern.

"Are you okay, Roy?"

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." I lied.

Hughes saw through it. Damn him and his powers of observation. "So, where's your date?"

"Yes, who's the lovely lady that you've wooed this time?" Gracia winked. I wondered just how much Maes told her about my love life.

"But that's just it," Hughes looked around, then leaned in and began to whisper conspiratorially. "There is no lovely lady."

Gracia looked genuinely surprised, and I swallowed nervously. I trusted her, loved her child like my own, and thought of her as family. But I wasn't really sure how she would react.

"There's a less-than-demure lad. And I'm pretty sure the infamous Mustang charm didn't sway this one. It's...-" Hughes tilted his head and seemed to contemplate his next word carefully. "-legitimate."

His girlfriend looked at me like she'd never seen me before, then squinted at me, as if she were looking for something. Whatever it was that she found made her get this odd little half-smile on her face.

"Well, congratulations, dear." She said in a low voice, a knowing gleam in her eyes.

**~0x0~**

"Seriously, where did he go?"

Maes voiced the question that I had been thinking for the past half hour.

The dance was in full swing now. The DJ was blasting bad techno remixes of pop songs over the speaker system, and people were jumping up and down in formal wear, like a pack of monkeys.

I kept having to fend off girls wanting to dance, and I could see that Hughes and Gracia were itching to get away and do their coupley thing, but they were staying here for my sake. I was starting to get a little ticked off.

By the time that stupid Cee Lo Green song came on, I was done.

"I'm gonna go look for him." I growled. I got up and had to remind myself not to stomp away like an angry toddler. I combed through the crowd, nodding when people called out to me, but not paying much attention beyond that. My eyes scanned the room for gold hair and eyes, to no avail.

I covered my slight worry up with annoyance, though the worry started to win over as I checked the bathroom and the balcony surrounding the main floor. Edward was nowhere to be seen.

I headed toward the back of the large ball room. There was a set of innocuous glass doors partially covered by heavy drapes, which led to an outdoor patio. I didn't see anybody out there (which made sense, because it was pretty damn cold now that the sun had set), but I went outside to look for my misplaced boyfriend anyway.

A gust of chilly air blew in the second I opened the door. Shivering slightly, I ignored the surprised squawk of a freshman wearing far too much make-up, who had been unfortunate enough to be standing close by and stepped out.

The small patio was ringed by a few stone benches and a copse of trees, to give the illusion of privacy. It was pretty dark out here, the only light coming from the dance hall behind me, so the foliage seemed much more dense and imposing than it actually was. Squinting into the night, I called out for the only person that I really wanted to see.

There was a rustling from off to the side, followed by a quiet curse. Ed soon emerged from the bushes.

"Where have you been?" I hissed, clenching my fists in a vain attempt to hold in my irritation.

"Sorry...We were talking, then I had to go take a leak, and fuck if that line wasn't long. I couldn't wait, so I came out here." His words were a bit rushed, possibly because he was trying to pacify his irate boyfriend.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Okay. Just...tell me next time? You had me worried for a bit there."

"Sure. Sorry about that." Ed glanced briefly toward the sky. I was a bit thrown off by how closely his eyes mirrored the night sky seen in the city. Dark and...strangely empty. Void of the pricks of light that should have been there.

It made me sick.

I grabbed his hand and tugged him inside, hope that the change in lighting and temperature would make that awful feeling go away.

"Roy?" Upon hearing his voice, I snapped out of my little trance and quickly dropped his hand, turning to give him a mostly not-fake smile.

"Come on. Let's go grab a drink and lean against walls, or whatever it is one does when not courting a female at a social event."

Edward just arched one lovely studded eyebrow. "I am slowly coming to the conclusion that you are an android. Tell me, how have you managed to blend in among the flesh and blood so far?"

"Amazing good looks and sexual prowess." I grinned, feeling much more like myself now. We skirted the throng of people who thought they could dance, but really couldn't and made our way to the punch bar.

Grabbing our drinks, we went toward a quiet corner and stood at a respectable distance. For a while, we simply people-watched.

I started when I heard the blonde beside me start cracking up.

"What's so funny?"

"Just-them." He gestured vaguely toward the dance floor. "You can't do any traditional dancing to bad pop music and you can't do any club-esque dancing in floor length dresses and tuxedos."

"Heh. Yeah, I guess so. They always wind up like this though."

"Did you ever do that? Jump up and down in time with Cascada, or whatever?"

"Certainly not. I always stepped off the dance floor for those. I can slow dance with the best of them though."

Ed 'hmm'ed. It sounded a little sad to me. I took the chance to observe him a bit more closely now. He looked fine, but there was something in the way he held himself that told me something was wrong. The flashing laser lights and spotlights that had been brought in for this event lit his hair like a multi-hued fire, but his eyes were still oddly muted.

"Ed?"

He looked over at me.

"Maybe I'm wrong, but...is there something the matter?"

"No...I'm okay. Just...maybe having the insane urge to do sappy, dorky, coupley things right now." He whispered. (Well, okay, it wasn't really a whisper. It was so loud in here that he was just speaking in a normal tone of voice, but I got the feeling that it was supposed to be meant in hushed tones.)

_'Oh...is that what he's been upset about all night?'_

"Don't worry about it, Ed. It's enough that we got to be here together."

"Yeah. Roy, listen..."

He trailed off, as if unable to speak. All of a sudden, the rainbow spinning lights switched off and softer stage lights of blue and white prevailed. The DJ started talking, but I couldn't really hear what he was saying, just that it was in a lower tone of voice than the peppy upbeat vibe he'd given off earlier.

I was much more interested in what I saw next to me. For a couple seconds, I was once again trapped in his eyes. They were no longer unnaturally still, not spinning as with the first time we met, but pulsing. There seemed to be two forces at work behind them, each one vying for my attention in turns, so I couldn't really focus on either emotion properly. The blue of the lighting mingled with gold, creating a thin overlay of tinted mist that further obstructed my inspection of his feelings. He blinked, which allowed my vision to do that weird zooming thing that it seemed prone to doing in his presence. The lights also seemed to be playing along his skin and hair, setting his piercings ablaze in blue flame. I was strangely reminded of the science experiment my class had done last year, when we'd burned different minerals to make fire turn different colors.

I was once again overcome by the otherworldly radiance he possessed. His demeanor was nothing even remotely close to saint-like, but nothing would ever convince me that he was completely of this world. What this angel without wings managed to see in someone like me, I would never know. But obviously, he saw something, because the way he was looking at me stole my breath away.

***~XxX~* **

The next song came on, and I could see from the corner of my eye that everyone immediately stopped grinding and acting like fools to match the pace of the slow beat. An unhurried, steady rocking motion had been taken up by those couples that hadn't left the dance floor. Yet, neither of us made any move to join them.

_For you to tell me how it is_

_If I could only get a kiss_

_I could make you take a risk_

_On a boy who wants this_

"Ed, I…" I couldn't speak. He was so beautiful…so hauntingly magnificent. Now that I knew him better, now that I knew what made up the inner workings of Edward Elric, he looked even better. He was almost hard to look at, yet I couldn't tear my eyes away.

_I'll be fine if you stay by my side..._

"It's okay, I know."

"No, you really don't. I've never…been like this with anyone else. Around others, I always have to be the one in control. But, when I am with you, I can't tell which way is up and which is down, and…It feels so incredible."

_Your eyes are brighter than the sun _

_They make me see that you're the one _

_Your smile takes my breath away _

_And leaves me with nothing to say_

"Roy…" he whispered.

Somehow, the world stopped. My breath hitched. I was usually able to keep calm, but tonight, I was being swept away with the music. Swept away in the current of emotion flowing between the two of us. Suddenly, I felt a great yearning to speak those three elusive, dangerous, wondrous words.

Could I do it? _Should _I do it? I had no idea how Edward would react if I did…What if it ruined everything?

But, I wanted to, so very badly. I had never said them in earnest before, and I wanted to know what it would feel like, what the syllables would taste like on my tongue. I wanted to tell him exactly what I was feeling right now, no matter what the consequences were.

_And I'd give up forever to see the day _

_Where the two of us both could just walk away _

_Hand in hand..._

And it was all just too much. The whole world just fell away and there was nothing but me, my angel, and the night.

And as the song came to a crescendo, so did the beating of my heart. The dam holding in the tide of emotions burst, and for once, I let my mask drop and didn't care. I pulled Ed into an embrace.

_Never felt this way in my whole life _

_Never had this feeling before tonight _

_I can't get you off my mind _

_Cause you shine, yeah_

_Oh, you know you shine_

And I finally whispered the words I had been longing to say into his ear.

_"I love you."_

**~0x0~**

Back to author's notes now. How was it? Didn't the background music make the whole thing better? (Roy is officially the gayest person ever. Then again, that retarded fluff came from my mind, so I guess that makes _me _the gayest person ever.)

BTW, if you are wondering about my choice of song, let me explain. Yes, I know that the song specifically cites a relationship between a boy and a girl. But we have to overlook this, as I could not find a song that really fit and was gender anonymous. This was the only song I could find with the right emotion behind it, and words that would sort of fit our two main characters _and_ was easy enough to read along with. Writing a good songfic is a hassle. Ugh.

**~0x0~**

**EDIT-Just realized I never responded to last chapter's reviews, so I will do that now.**

cynder81- Lol, yeah, Roy and Winry together are just right for tormenting Ed.

Stereophonic Aftershock- Ed used stupid a lot because stupid store with stupid boyfriend is stupid.

Shane- No dying. Just fluff. XD

Kitsune-the-fox- He might, he might not. ;)

black-klepon- Ed's fashion sense is pretty horrible, actually.

lil' fayri grrl- Hehe. I'm so happy you are enjoying it!

AngylLayDying- OMG, I missed you! So sorry for your loss. So happy to have you back. I'll pray for you in all the religious formats, so hopefully one of the prayers will reach the God of whatever sect you pay attention to. I mean that in the best way possible. Anyway. I'm super happy that you have like the updates!

Ziza Koyokashi- Ed's blankie is rather snuggleable. *hugs*

pnginlvrs- Yay! Glad you like it!

Alexia-Esco- Dirty thoughts are the best kind. ;P

boredomtakescontrol- They are a cute couple. Too bad there was no actual dancing.

Deikuru- Ed shopping is always a fun time. XD

Denise- Day-um, I loved your review! It inspired me to hitch up my pants and finish this stupid thing. So happy you are enjoying it!

splitCatacylsms- Hope you like it!

fanfictionANIMEfreak- Ed is adorable, isn't he? *cuddles*

shadowX101- Roy and Winry love torturing Ed, of course. ^_^

MailxJeevasxFTW- Happy you are liking it!


	26. Candy Confessions

I thought I'd said this already, but Ed goes to a private school. That's why he has to pay for it. Sorry if I made that unclear. Maybe I'll go back and change that later. Basically, the Curtis' help them through a bit, but Ed does most of the legwork. He's high ranking in a shiny new gang that runs itself like a mini-mafia and makes most of it's money on drugs, so he actually makes a pretty penny, for a teenager. It just gets spent on Al's tuition, since Greed is making Ed go to a fancy school to bag the rich kids, and Ed wants Al where he can at least make sure he's okay. (PS, Hughes is my favorite character, even over Roy.)

You know, I've been wondering this for a while now, but...what exactly _is_ an M rated story on here? I read the guidelines, and I thought I understood, but then I find super graphic maiming and very explicit tentacle sex on here...can anyone put it into words I can understand?

Gonna try doing real line breaks from now on, even though I'm a bit phobic of them, since ff tends to mess them up. This chapter picks up right where the other one stopped.

Did you guys honestly think that Ed would return the sentiment? Come on, what do you take me for?

* * *

_'Oh my God.'_

Roy released me from the hug, apparently remembering where we were. I looked around, trying to make sure nobody had seen that. Thankfully, most of the moronic teenagers were looking away, and the mood lighting made it too dark for anyone to have seen that little episode. I looked back at Roy to find him staring intently at me, obviously expecting a response.

"Uh...Roy, I..." I trailed off from what would surely have been a train wreck of a sentence when I saw someone from over my boyfriend's shoulder.

Noa was looking straight at me.

My blood ran cold. Judging from the look on her face, I was positive she'd seen him hug me, even though she was definitely too far away to have heard..._that_. She gestured for me to come over to her, and I looked guiltily at Roy.

"Noa's calling me. I should probably see what she wants."

I hurried past him, hoping to hell he wouldn't stop me.

He didn't.

"Hey..." I started uncertainly, once I'd reached Noa.

"What was that about?"

Well, she obviously wasn't once for beating around the bush. My head was still spinning a bit and I wasn't feeling mentally capable of coming up with a totally convincing lie. So, I just shrugged. When in doubt, go with the truth.

"Uh...I'm honestly not sure."

"You were sitting at his table earlier, weren't you? Are you two friends?"

_'Dammit, woman. Just drop it already.'_

"Well, I wouldn't really say that..."

She continued to look at me skeptically, obviously expecting something a bit more than that.

I huffed a sigh.

"We're...acquaintances."

"I thought you hated him?"

Once again, I heaved my shoulders. "Meh. He's not completely horrid when he's girlfriendless."

"Uh-huh..."

My feet began to shuffle nervously, and I had to force myself to stop.

"Look, who cares about him? Anyway, you've gotten our payments, right?"

She was still glancing at me kind of funny, but she seemed to be okay with the subject change. "Yes. You delivered everything?"

I just nodded, trying to ignore the slight flavor of bile in my mouth. Sure, we weren't saying anything overtly bad. We weren't stupid enough to talk outright about drugs in a place like this. But still, the words that went unsaid left a horrid taste on my tongue. Dishing out weed to stoners wasn't so bad, dabbling in alcohol I could deal with, but the stuff we'd sold tonight was a life ruiner. I made damn fucking sure that I _never_ did anything other than drink and occasionally smoke pot, because I had more important things to do with my life than spend it in a haze.

Those guys I'd been selling to out on the patio apparently didn't.

"Yeah. I think they scurried off and ditched the party."

She nodded, her gaze cold and unfeeling. Noa sort of scared me sometimes. I did what I had to do without complaint, but my work still bothered me. I didn't understand how she could be so utterly unaffected by destroying futures. It might not have been so strange if she were a junkie herself, but I'd never seen her take anything. It struck me as a bit freakish.

"Uh..." I started, trying to get rid of the usual thoughts that came along with dealing. You'd think I'd be over it after a whole year, but apparently life doesn't work that way. I mentally shook myself and tried again. "Now that we're done with that, can we just enjoy the dance?"

She agreed and we parted ways, though it was obvious that she was still a bit skeptical about how I'd been acting tonight. At the moment, I didn't really care. I could deal with it later, but right now, I just needed to be away from Gangland and away from boyfriends. Especially boyfriends.

I swiftly walked toward the table we'd first sat at, happy to see that I'd lost Roy among the crowd. Sitting down wearily, I let myself mull over everything. Today had just been too much. My first real dance, and I'd had to play dealer under my date's nose, then had to handle said date confessing his love for me.

Love.

That was a serious word. Lots of teenagers used it really lightly, but I knew Roy wouldn't. At least, not in this context. It was a bit too soon for him to be at that point, wasn't it? The real problem was that he'd probably want to know my feelings on the matter. It was a no brainer for me. I _was not _in love with Roy Mustang. There were only two people alive that I really loved, only one I would do absolutely anything for, and there just wasn't room in my heart for anything else. I had promised myself a long time ago that I would never love anyone else. I didn't need to.

It just sort of sucked, because I didn't know how to tell Roy that without hurting him. I did care about him, and I genuinely liked having him around. Going out with him had been a nice distraction so far, and I didn't want to stop if I didn't have to. But...if he was getting in too deep, perhaps it would've been best to cut it off before it could get worse. He'd get over me, right?

I'd been so caught up in my musings, that I hadn't noticed someone approach the table.

"Hey."

I jumped (but was able to refrain from squeaking like a goddamn mouse, thankfully) and turned toward the speaker.

It was Hughes. He was standing to my right, smiling a friendly smile that didn't match his eyes. Of course, I couldn't do the convoluted eye-speak thing, so maybe I was misreading his expression. The only person I could truly understand without words was Al, and even then it wasn't all the time.

After a few seconds of just looking at each other, he gave up and broke eye contact. "Can I sit down?"

"Yeah."

He did so, putting his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand.

I was surprisingly unperturbed by his presence. I actually kinda liked the guy. Sure, he was a complete psychopath and one of Roy's drones, but there was something very honest about him. Even though I knew he wore just as many, if not more, masks than Roy did, he still managed to be a pretty genuine person. Like, he'd stacked on so many facades that he'd come full circle or something. It was a really weird effect.

"Fun party, eh?"

I glanced out at the dance floor, glossing over all the morons that had returned to grinding and bouncing up and down like rabbits on speed.

"I guess. I'm not really good with these kinds of things."

"I know what you mean. I'm not very into it either." He pulled a handkerchief from someplace and took his glasses off, cleaning them.

"Really?"

He shook his head, continuing to look down. "Nope. Not to sound haughty or anything, but I'm into more refined pastimes."

"It doesn't sound haughty. Monkeys have more refined pastimes than this."

He chuckled, putting his specs back on and looking at me again.

"If you don't like it, why did you come?"

"I could ask the same of you." I said, hoping it hadn't sounded quite as defensive to his ears as it had to mine.

"Well, two reasons. One," he held up his hands and counted off his points on his fingers, "I get to see my fiancé in fancy clothes, which is always a plus. And number two is probably the same reason you're here."

I cocked my head.

Hughes grinned softly. "Roy asked me to be here."

"He did?"

"Yup. He knew it'd be easier on you if somebody else was here to watch out for you guys. And, since I have been diligent in that duty, I've noticed that something seems a bit...off. Care to tell me why you're over here alone and Roy is moping by the punch bowl?"

I crossed my arms and leaned away from him a bit, trying to figure out what to say.

"Look, Ed. I'll be honest, you and I don't know each other that well. But Roy is my best friend, and this is the first time I've seen him date for something other than sex in a long time. I don't want this to fall apart, just because you two have some sort of rift in communication. If you talk to me, maybe I can give you some insight."

"How do I know you won't go blabbing everything I say to his highness as soon as you get the chance?"

Hughes shrugged. "You don't. I could say that I'll never repeat any of this, but you wouldn't believe me, and it probably wouldn't be true. You just have to trust that I'm smart enough to know what information to withhold." He winked at me. "I'm real good at keeping secrets, because I always tell most of the truth."

Well. That was a strange answer, but it was obviously the truth. Probably.

I sighed.

"He's just...in too deep. He says he lo-_likes _me a lot and I like him too, but not that much. I kind of don't want to hurt his feelings though, so I came over here to figure things out."

"I see..."

He seemed to think this over a bit, his face becoming very pensive and making him seem far older than he actually was.

"Well...I think if you explain to him that you aren't quite in the same place as he is, he'll back off a bit. I don't think he expects you to marry him, or anything."

"But then he'll get that look on his face that makes me feel like I've kicked a puppy or something."

"Heh. Maybe, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. He's tougher than you think."

"I dunno about that."

Hughes smiled, almost like he was thinking about some sort of private joke.

"I think he's just happy to have the chance to get to know you. If you feel he's moving too fast, just tell him straight up. Being frank about it is fine, but he has problems with beating around the bush."

"I thought he was the king of subtleties."

"Oh, he is, normally. He can play the coy game like no other. But the people who are closest to him are the ones he doesn't have to do that with. Once he feels like he can take his mask down around you, he's not going to have a good time going back to dancing around the subject. He expects that you both can just be yourselves while you're around each other, you know?"

I nodded, not entirely following the logic here.

"What I'm saying is, you should be up front with him about your feelings, so he will be able to be up front with you too. That's how you would prefer it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Good. Now, I would go track him down before something bad happens. He's got the bad habit of setting things on fire when he's feeling down. Some kind of strange coping mechanism."

"Alright. Uh," I shifted a bit, a little embarrassed. "Thanks, man. For talking to me, I mean."

He grinned his usual grin. "No problem."

* * *

I hurried through the crowd, ignoring the dirty looks I got from several people as I walked right through the middle of the dance floor.

There he was, sulking by the drinks, just like Hughes had said.

I put my fingers to my lips and whistled loudly, hoping to get his attention.

He (and pretty much everyone in the immediate area) jumped and his head snapped toward me. I finally fought toward the edge of the throng of dunces, for once relieved that they all seemed to think they would catch some deadly disease if they touched me. It was useful for getting people out of the way.

"Come on," I said once I reached him. I grabbed his arm and started dragging him away from the three or four ditzy girls that had been trying to talk to him.

"W-What-" He began, obviously caught off guard.

"We're leaving."

"We are?"

"Yup."

I spotted Hughes staring at us, his arm around a shockingly pretty girl who looked older than most of the dumbasses around here. I saluted him and continued to drag my boyfriend out the door.

He was still spluttering incoherently as we reached his car. I got in and motioned impatiently for him to do the same.

He did so cautiously, like he was getting into a cage with an unhappy lion or something.

"Edward, I-"

"Drive."

He took a deep breath. "Ed, I realize I've upset you, and I'm sorry about that. I hope you can-"

"Stop apologizing, I'm not mad. Now, _drive_. Corner of 5th and Kingston."

* * *

"A...candy shop?"

"Not just candy. All kinds of sweets."

Roy slowly shut of the car and I shrugged off my suit jacket and hopped out of the car.

I was glad he'd brought me here without too much fuss. I needed to be somewhere free of the oppressive atmosphere the dance had for a while. I needed to be someplace where I could speak honestly without the fear of someone else overhearing.

When you walked the streets as much as I did, you found all sorts of interesting hole-in-the-wall places like this. From the outside, this place looked almost like it was abandoned. The brick building was in disrepair, the once bright awnings now a faded pink and beige. This place was simply called 'Armony's', though bits of the sign had crumbled away, so it looked like 'A mcry s'. The only way you could tell it was a candy shop was the stickers of cartoon candies chasing each other on the windows. This place stayed open pretty fucking late, so the lights were still on, even though you couldn't see much of the inside due to the sheer amount of stickers in the windows.

I motioned for Roy to follow me and I walked in, for once holding the door open for him.

The as soon as the little bell over the door rang, there was a call from deeper inside the shop.

"I'll be right there!" A cheery voice floated out of nowhere towards us. I was used to it by now, but Roy was looking around, amazed, so I glanced around too.

The store was rather narrow, but long, so it was much bigger than it appeared to be on the outside. It was completely deserted at this time of night. Every single surface of this place was covered in sweets. One wall was covered with shelves of candy displays, brightly colored treats of every kind imaginable from floor to ceiling. There were a few stand-alone displays for more candy scattered about. Down the middle of the store was a low aisle divider that help all the pre-packaged Hostess type stuff and cookies. There was one table for four at the very front of the shop, crammed next to the counter which seemed to go on forever, lined by the covered glass containers for all sorts of ice cream, cakes, and pastries, with a bit of an open spot on the end for the cash register and a couple bar stools where people could eat.

Willy Wonka had nothing on this place.

A girl dashed out from somewhere, a little taller (God fucking dammit) than me, with almost pink hair and a skip in her step.

"Hello! I'm Armony! Can I help you wi-Oh! You're that boy! Hi again." She waved at me happily, apparently unaware of how socially awkward she was.

"And you've brought a friend this time! How nice! Anyway, is there anything I can get for you guys?"

Roy seemed to snap out of his stupor at the sight of a decent looking girl, which sort of upset me, but I shook the feeling off.

"I guess we'll just have a look around first?"

"Sure, take your time. Let me know if you need anything." She skipped off and busied herself with something behind the counter.

I turned to Roy.

"Get whatever you want. My treat."

"But-"

"No buts. You've paid for me a couple of times now, the least I can do is help fatten you up a bit." I winked at him (which he seemed positively shocked by) and went to examine the cakes on display.

After a few minutes, we had both settled on something and went to pay for it. I'd gotten myself a piece of chocolate cake and Roy had picked out a big box of Warheads, which were some of the most sour things on the planet. I insisted upon him getting a drink too, and bought a Coke float, one of those huge kinds that can be more than enough for two people. To her credit, Armony didn't even blink when I asked her for two straws. Then again, maybe she just wasn't aware that two guys sharing a drink was a little strange.

"Sour stuff, really?"

He shrugged. "Secret weakness."

I made a face, wondering how bad sour candy and ice cream spiked soda would taste.

I pointed him toward the little table, because those seats were much more comfortable than the barstools. He looked a little nervous as we sat down, and I was strangely reminded of that talk we'd had in the library, after the first time we'd kissed. We both started eating, though he seemed to be concentrating more on the float than the candy.

He opened his mouth, and by the look on his face, I expected him to start apologizing again, but instead all he said was:

"Why do you like ice cream if you don't like milk?"

I shrugged. "Some dairy products are okay, some aren't. I don't like whipped cream or coffee creamer, but ice cream's fine. It's sort of not even the same thing anymore, you know?"

He nodded and went silent. I waited for him to bring up this thing that was hanging heavily in the air, but he seemed determined to ignore the elephant in the room. I sighed, and resigned myself to breaking the ice.

"So."

He looked up at me through his bangs, and I had to ignore the fact that I found that super sexy.

_'Serious business time now, Ed. No thinking about about anything other than the topic at hand.'_

"I, uh...I'm sorry for running away on you like that. Noa really was calling for me...no, that's an excuse. I didn't know how to react."

God, I was so hellaciously _bad _at this stuff...discussing feelings was not my forte.

"Anyway. I sort of stomped all over your feelings without thinking about it, and I'm really sorry about that."

He looked down for a second, then smiled weakly at me.

"It's alright." He said simply.

"No, it isn't. You didn't deserve that," He looked like he was about to protest again, so I cut him off. "Just...listen. I talked to Hughes about it and he gave me some good advice." Roy didn't look all that surprised.

"I'm just gonna be up front with you about this, alright? When we first started dating, I told you I wasn't sure how serious I was willing to be, and I'm still not." I steeled myself for this next part, partially because it was embarrassing, partially because I really didn't want him to react badly.

"I'm, uh...flattered by your confession, but...I can't return your feelings. I'm just not in the same place that you are."

Roy swallowed thickly.

"I don't want to stop going out or anything, I'm still more than cool with being around you," I could feel the blush creeping up my neck, I was totally rambling, as I was prone to do when I got flustered. "I, uh, I really...like you. Surprising as it may be. Uh, Anyway. Yeah, I don't want this to...how do they say it in movies? I don't want this to _come between us,_" this was harder to say than it should have been, "But if you don't want to date anymore, I understand."

I stared at him, panting a bit, completely flushed from head to toe now.

_'Such a graceful speech. Why does he love a fuck up like me?'_

He seemed to contemplate this for quite a while, so long that I thought he wasn't going to respond. Just as I was about to speak up with what I'm sure would have been another brilliant slaying of the English language, he spoke.

"I appreciate you being honest with me. Also, I'd like to thank you for not freaking out too much. I was a bit too forward. I...I'm not quite sure what I want to do about us yet. I'll need some time to think about it."

I nodded, feeling strangely disappointed that he hadn't said he wanted to continue dating outright.

It felt a bit inappropriate to share a drink after that revelation, so I let him get his fill of it, then we left. We didn't talk more than necessary, the atmosphere around us awkward and uncomfortable. He dropped me off and bid me a good night without getting out of the car, though he did wait until I got a foot in the door before he pulled away.

I felt a little hollow on the inside. Knowing you hurt someone is hard, even if I was sticking to my convictions.

I needed a smoke.

* * *

To My Reviewers:

SoulSmuggler4242564- I'm super glad that you liked it!

kay-kw33n- Wow, thanks for so many lovely reviews!

shadowX101- Awwh, I'm sowwy it almost made you cry. But, in a good way, right?

faithNfantasy- Holy crap, firstly, let me thank you for a long review. Every review is wonderful, but longer one are like...fresh cookies. They're fantastic. So, thanks for that. I don't really update on other sites any more, because certain things annoy me and I had trouble keeping track of it all. I should probably put up a note to lead those people here, eh? I'm happy you like Ed. I luffs him too. If you didn't read the author's not at the beginning, I suggest you do so, since that will answer a couple of your questions. Roy is such a doofus, and I really wanted to remind people of that with this story. Roy is definitely gonna have some problems as this thing goes on. All of those questions you asked at the end have already been thought out, I assure you. The graduation thing will be interesting...I'm not quite sure how either of the boys will handle that yet.

silverskies87- HOLY SHIT, YOU READ NEPTUNE'S CALL? Let me love you forevvverrrrr! You are the first to tell me you've read something from one of my other fandoms. And you didn't know it was me? *giggle* Leave me lots of reviews on botthhh so I can enshrine yoouuuu~

cynder81- I'm super happy you liked the song. I was a bit unsure of my choice on that, but if it works for you, it works for me!

Aki- W-Wow...*blush* Thank you for such high praise.

lil' fayri grrl- Hehe, it's either get his hair yanked or get hit with a wrench. Aww, I'm sorry you couldn't listen to the song. When your computer starts working again, you should go back and read that part of the chapter with the song and let me know what you think.

Kyna Kurosaki- First, thanks for so many lovely reviews. I adore you for all of them. I'm really glad you got the feeling I was trying to convey. I worked really hard on the timing and emotion of that particular part. I didn't want to womanize Ed, because Ed is such a masculine character. And I didn't want to force their relationship along because that's not how life works. You can't get attached to the characters and become invested in their relationship if it isn't believable.

MailxJeevasxFTW- I know, right? I was happy he finally said it too.

AngylLayDying- Edward is a good liar, he just has issues lying to himself. I'm glad you liked the song. Lol, your boyfriend the bed warmer eh? Sounds fun.

RomiofAmestria- Glad you think so!

Stereophonic Aftershock- Roy, normal? Never. Hehe, I'm glad that you pick up all the pop culture references that I drop.


	27. Oh, HELL No

A friend of mine asked me why Ed had been so bad at kissing the first time he and Roy went out even though he'd slept with people before. Again, I'd thought this would be obvious subtext, but you don't kiss prostitutes. You fuck them. So yeah, that really was his first kiss.

I write really short paragraphs...ugghhhhhh. And don't get your panties in a bunch just yet, I'll be explaining everything later.

* * *

Saturday morning found me feeling like total shit.

I felt like absolute scum. I tried hard not to think about things, but of course, the more you try to avoid something, the more it comes up.

I'd made the sincerest confession of my life last night.

I'd been shot down.

But, he still wanted to date. I wasn't sure how to handle that. Sure, I still wanted to spend time with him, but I wasn't sure I could handle it. I wanted to go further with our relationship. It would be hard to stay strong around him and just keep going with the casual thing that we'd been having.

I sighed and dragged myself out of bed. It was the weekend, but I hadn't actually slept in for six years. My parents always wanted me to be down in time for breakfast at 7:00.

The smell of bacon and eggs hit me as I walked down the stairs. Mother usually only made waffles or pancakes in the mornings. If she was going out of her way to fry bacon (which I really didn't like all that much) then that could only mean one thing.

Father was home this morning.

I took a deep breath to steel myself against the onslaught of immediate frustration and other emotions I didn't want to name when I thought about him. I really wasn't prepared to deal with it this morning-not when last night's wounds were still so raw. Shaking my head slightly, I pulled my mask even tighter than usual and walked to the dining room, prepared for the morning to take a turn for the worst.

Father was already sitting down with his paper, abnormally punctual as usual. I was pretty sure he did that just to make everyone else feel bad. I took my seat to the right of the head of the table quietly, as was proper.

He didn't bother to acknowledge my presence.

After about 30 seconds, food was presented, of course, father got his first and I got mine second, with absolutely no say in what I ate or how much. I'd eat exactly what was on my plate whether I liked it or not. I didn't exactly love my mother, but I was fond of her. It was slightly more relaxed when she was the only one around. I could at the very least eat in peace. But not now.

I thanked Mother for cooking and dug in without another word, eating at a proper pace with proper manners and proper everything else. It sucked.

When we finished eating I didn't waste any time in excusing myself.

I was stopped in my swift retreat by a gruff voice.

"Son."

I turned and faced Father, standing straight and forcing myself to look him in the face, even though he hadn't actually looked up from his paper.

"Yes, Father?"

"You will be graduating soon, correct?"

"Yes, Father."

"Are you going to be the Valedictorian?"

That stopped me up short, but I recovered quickly enough. "That...has yet to be decided, Father. Graduation titles aren't assigned until the end of the year."

"I see."

I knew a dismissal when I heard one and walked away with as much dignity as I could muster.

_'Valedictorian? I work my ass off with so many titles and extracurricular shit and that isn't good enough for him? He was me to be the goddamn Valedictorian?'_

I had to stop myself from slamming the door to my room, my safe haven.

It'd been a long time since I'd been this upset. The world was just out to get me recently. I just...I wanted to punch a wall, scream until my throat was raw, rip something to pieces. But of course, I didn't. I bottled it all up as I always did, shoving it away because I knew it wouldn't do me any good. No amount of tantrum throwing would free me from my family. No amount of release would give me enough courage to get away from this place.

I sighed and picked up my phone.

I never bothered complaining about family matters anymore, but I could at least get some insight on my boyfriend troubles.

Hughes' number was the first on my speed dial. I pressed the button, grimacing because I really didn't _want _to have this conversation, but also knowing that it was necessary.

It rang twice before he answered. I could hear a faint babbling in the background and I smiled a bit. Elysia _was _pretty adorable, for an infant. I hoped she would take after her mom and not be as infuriating as her father. Speaking of which...

"Roy! Perfect timing. Gracia is just about to put my cute little girl into the bath. I can give you a blow by blow report about all the rubber ducks I bought her!"

"No, no, that's okay," I said, perhaps just a touch too quickly. "I actually needed to talk to you about serious things for once."

"Oh, that's no fun." I could mentally see him rolling his eyes. "Fine, I _guess_ I can force myself away from this once in a life-time event."

"Maes, she has a bath every day."

"Yeah, but she'll never have _this _bath again. I'd say that this had better be important, but I have a feeling I already know what it's about. Lay it on me."

Once again, I sighed. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. "I told Ed that I was in love with him last night, and he didn't return the sentiment. But, he said he still wants to date me. Which is great, but I don't know if I can continue being around him without wanting to further our relationship. I want to be upset with him, but I can't. I know how it feels to be on his end of a confession, and he handled it better than I would have thought, I just...I don't know."

"Hmm. Not knowing is the tough part. You've never been one for leaps of faith."

"Yeah."

"I still can't quite wrap my head around it. You. _In love_. The thing which so many women have sought, and yet your heart has been won by a goth deviant who also happens to be a guy."

"Yes, yes, I'm pathetic for falling for him, I know, but I couldn't help it. He's so...opposite of everything I think I should have and yet he's wound up being everything I want." My voice took on a softer tone toward the end of that sentence, as I was recalling exactly how much I'd wanted him. And now that I had him, I wasn't sure I could keep him. Such a cruel twist of fate.

"Listen, I'm not quite sure how one goes about solving disputes in a homosexual relationship, but if it is anything akin to my own experience, the only thing I can tell you is that it's a delicate balance. If you really love him, you have to be willing to give up things you want to give him what he needs, but you also need to be aware of your own feelings and make sure you're not giving too much of yourself. Real commitment always comes with a bit of pain, but you can't let him hurt you too much."

"How do you always manage to give such good advice that always answers exactly none of my questions?" I asked, slightly exasperated.

He chuckled. "It's a gift. Look, all I can tell you is that it's still too early to tell if he's really worth the fight. If it were me, I'd stick it out a bit longer. After all, he didn't outright reject you. It's not like he said he'd _never_ love you back, right?"

I smiled a bit sadly.

_'Hope is frail, but it's hard to kill.'_

Hughes was right.

Not that I'd ever admit that out loud.

* * *

I texted Ed and told him that I wanted to talk, then settled down to do some homework while waiting for his reply. Now that I was apparently expected to graduate at the top of my class, it wouldn't do to put it off. Of course, I couldn't focus on the words in front of me at all. I was too anxious.

I was looking at my watch every 30 seconds and after about a hundred or so times of that, I began to get worried. It normally didn't take him this long to reply in the middle of the day. Of course, I was sure that he was just busy with something, but I couldn't help it. I didn't know much about his lifestyle, but I knew it wasn't great.

Finally, my phone buzzed, letting me know I had a reply. I quickly dropped everything and unlocked my phone, eagerly drinking in the text.

_I've decided to break up._

_Don't contact me anymore._

_Sorry._

I read the words three times before their meaning really set in. It was so stark, so sudden that it almost didn't seem real. I'd waited too long. He'd decided I wasn't worth it.

_'He broke up with me.'_

For a moment, I just sat there, stunned. No one had ever broken up with me before.

_'But why? Just yesterday, he'd said that he wanted to stay with me...'_

_Sorry._

_Sorry. _

**_Sorry._**

I stared at that word for a long time. The letters were so cold, so unfeeling. Flashes of all the fun we'd had kept going through my mind and I was surprised to find that I was truly bereft.

I couldn't believe it, but my eyes were actually burning with tears. They rolled down my face silently, each sending an alien ache into my chest. I couldn't remember the last time I'd actually cried. And now I was practically bawling over this...this _boy_?

No way. _No fucking way._

Something akin to rage filled me. Nobody whips Roy Mustang and then just turns around and walks off with no explanations. Sorry just didn't cut it.

He would pay for reducing me to a confused, sobbing mess.

On Monday, I was going to go over his head.

* * *

I was in top form at the beginning of the week, which was rare. I was sharp as a tack, alert, and positively _seething. _My anger had not diminished over the weekend. I was not going down without a fight.

Of course, everyone noticed that I was different today.

"Sir, are you all right?" Hawkeye asked before classes started.

"Never better, Riza."

"You sure, boss? You look kinda...mad." I glanced over at Breda in all his overweight glory and put my signature smirk into place.

"You seem to have mistaken anger for anticipation."

"Anticipation of what?"

"Never mind, dear Breda. Today is a day of conquest. Today, we unite to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of students. What will the day bring I wonder? There are so many possibilities before us!"

Hawkeye looked rather nonplused. "Whatever you say, Mustang."

I smirked again, proud of myself for keeping my words in check.

My early morning classes flew by, and I was finished with my work far before anyone else. It's not like my grades were bad. I was toward the top of my class anyhow. I'd be Valedictorian yet

Finally, I got to my teaching aid slot and waited to strike.

I almost felt bad for Alphonse. He was practically squirming in his seat. I could tell he had at least some idea of what had happened and he was uncomfortable being in the same room as me.

_'Fine. Let him stew,' _I thought evilly.

To his credit, he didn't try to bolt out of the room. He gathered his things at an acceptable pace, as did I. I timed it perfectly, cornering him just as he began to leave and most of the other students were already out the door.

"Alphonse."

He froze and slowly turned around, trying very hard to mask the dread flooding his features.

"Yes...?"

"I need some help sorting papers tomorrow at lunch. I know you're the capable sort. Would you mind helping me?"

Social protocol insisted he agree, but I could see that he was desperately trying to come up with a way to get out of it.

"B-But what about eating? And shouldn't the other Student Council members be doing that?"

"Oh, we can eat in the student council room. And I've already promised everyone else that I would stop bothering them at lunch time, but this really needs to get done. I know I can count on you, just this once."

Finally, he gave in. "Alright. See you tomorrow..." he mumbled, before sulking off.

Poor kid. It was too bad that his adorable pouting face hadn't done much for my anger.

* * *

To My Reviewers:

SingingSparklyKuma- Ah, I'm glad you like it! Always good to have new readers!

SoulSmugger4242564- I like giving insight into their feelings.

Kyna Kurosaki- Ed is a kid at heart. And I don't want their relationship to go with the grain. I like responding to you guys. I wuv you!

mychemicalbitchbot- Ah, you read Neptune's Call too? Let me love you, darling. Sometimes fiction has to be real in order to be relatable. ^_^

lil' fayri grrl- Hellaciously is real slang. It's pronounced Hell-AY-see-us-lee.

shadowX101- My poor babies. It only gets worse before it gets better.


	28. Interlude: Alphonse's Plight

Hooray for a chapter that gives you absolutely no answers! Woo! In case it wasn't obvious, this will be from Alphonse's POV. You'll probably notice that the writing of this chapter feels a bit different than normal...I wanted to make this kinda choppy, to play up the tension, and to show how Al's brain works a bit. Super short, which I am sorry for. I don't wanna drag this out for too long, because we need to backtrack a bit and get back to Ed. Also, because I'm sure it will come up at some point, NO, Alphonse does not have incest-y feelings for Ed. He just loves his brother more than anything in a very intense platonic way. No sexual undertones.

* * *

The moment my brother came home, I knew something was wrong. No, not just wrong.

_Broken._

It wasn't the dirt on his clothes or the blood on his hands that told me this.

His eyes told me all I needed to know.

It was all I could do to drag him upstairs and wash him off. It was hard because he was trembling so much.

I took him into his room, and we huddled up under his blanket. I ignored his tears and just held him.

We didn't speak a word, and my cheeks burned with shame.

I wasn't brave enough to ask questions.

* * *

Teacher picked up on the fact that Ed wasn't himself, of course. But he refused to say anything about it. He spoke in a carefully measured monotone and his eyes were flat, betraying absolutely no emotion. I didn't like that look. It brought back bad memories.

Finally she asked;

"Does this have anything to do with that boyfriend of yours?"

For a long time, Ed didn't say anything. Then, he shook his head.

"No...we aren't...together anymore."

This time, I couldn't hold back my question.

"Did Roy break up with you?"

"No. _I _broke up with _him_."

A little bit of the old determined spark came into his eyes with that, so I let it drop.

* * *

Of course, I had expected it.

But still, Roy's eyes boring a hole into my back during class was unsettling.

I had also expected him to corner me and I knew I would cave into speaking with him.

I wanted to talk. Roy was mad, but I was certain he would understand my fears.

* * *

"Let's skip the chit-chat, shall we? You know why we're really here."

I put the papers down and promptly forgot about them. I'd already glanced through them while Roy and I had walked to the Student Council room. Someone had completed them long ago.

"Brother."

"Yes. He texted me over the weekend telling me he wanted to break up. Do you know why?"

"Well..." I hedged, knowing that I really shouldn't involve Roy in this...

But I was scared.

"I don't know the exact reason. But, a few nights ago he came home from work and...it was really bad. He's been leaving after breakfast and returning really late ever since. He didn't come to school today either."

Roy was quiet for a long time, but I could tell his anger was beginning to ebb away into worry.

"What do you mean, 'it was really bad'?"

"There w-was..." I swallowed when my voice cracked. Roy moved a bit closer, looking really concerned. Probably because I was trembling like a frightened rabbit. I felt like one.

"Alphonse?"

"There was a lot of blood. But...none of it was his. He wasn't hurt."

"Blood? What-"

I shook my head furiously to clear it of stray thoughts. "I don't know! All I know is that it's got something to do with that stupid gang!"

"Alphonse, don't-"

"It's taking him away from me!"

Now that I'd said it, I couldn't take it back.

Concerns for my brother's health and happiness were only second. I just wanted him by my side, no matter the cost. I knew he would need money and resources to stay with me, so I'd let him join the State Alchemist's without thought for his health. Now it had become an obstacle, so I wanted to remove it.

How selfish could I get?

* * *

To My Reviewers:

MARYLOVER- Aw, thank you. How will I make the couple work? Watch any anime involving a couple, and you'll find the answer! The power of love trumps all obstacles and all that happy shit. Also, Ed and Roy are a dynamite-ass-kicking-team!

shadowX101- Hmmm, your gut feeling was probably right! The next chapter will be a doozy...

littleleanna- Yeah, I feel bad for him.

Kyna Kurosaki- This is a plot twist you aren't going to like. _I_ don't like it. But it needs to happen.

sad1st1c m1stress- Glad you like it!

Alexia-Esco- Needed to be done. The boys will see each other again soon.

lil' fayri grrl- I am a meanie face, I totally am. Ugh, so much angst and it aint stopping soon. What happened to my fluffy coming out story? *sobs*

mychemicalbitchbot- W-Wow, such high praise. I am soooooo happy you like this! I-It's not really epic...*blush*

Lola- Meh, finding out about this is gonna be bad. But I gotta do it.


	29. Hell Is For Children

Sorry it's been so long. Life's been a bitch lately, and this chapter was hard to write.

I answered all my reviews as normal, put ups a nice long AN about what's been going on and my browser just flipped out and I lost it all. Not gonna fucking do it again, so let me just say that I love you all and I will respond to your comments when I am less annoyed.

Happy Holidays, and please enjoy.

* * *

When people envision hell, they often imagine a fiery pit filled with devils and pitchforks. But I know better. Hell is not a place below the earth, or even a place at all. Hell is an insidious entity that lurks among us, crawling within the shadows. Hell is circumstance that surrounds and envelops us, waiting to strike us down. Waiting to drain us of everything meaningful and leave its victims nothing but numb. Powerless. Cold.

Hell is a cold, colorless existence.

Hell is the realization that nothing will ever be the same again.

* * *

On the fourth day since my world came to a halt, I woke up, feeling the same vague sense of nausea and foreboding that had yet to cease since the first. At least it was better than the nightmares.

On the fourth day since everything changed, I got out of bed, dragged on some clothes and distantly wondered why I owned so much black. Black was an awful color. Then again, it reflected my awful mood, so I guessed it was only appropriate.

On the fourth day since I stopped moving forward, I skipped breakfast and went outside, finding the same slick black car waiting for me, as it had been on all previous days. I got in as casually as I could, trying not to flinch at the slam of the car door.

On the fourth day, I thought of my mother.

On the fourth day, I wondered if I would live to see the fifth.

* * *

_"Envy?" _

_"I think so…"_

_"Why didn't you fucking say anything sooner?"_

_"I don't know…I didn't think it was important…"_

_"It's fucking important now, isn't it, punk? It's always important after it's too late."_

* * *

I walked into the building, a teenager on a normal Wednesday night. HQ was dark. Ominous in a way that it hadn't been, Before. Faces that were present were grim. Faces that weren't present flashed in the back of my mind in an attempt to make me sick.

Greed was no longer stunned like the first day, nor was he the terrifying sort of livid that had followed on the second day.

He was quiet. Calculating and murderous.

I was probably the scariest emotion I'd ever seen him display.

I wanted out. I wanted to throw my watch down and call it quits.

But there was no way. I'd lashed myself too firmly to this bed of nails, and if I tried to move now, I'd be run through.

I was scared, but the pervading numbness halted the terror.

Few words were spoken between the time I arrived and the time the troops moved out. There wasn't much that needed to be said.

I walked out of the building, a soldier heralding the onset of war.

* * *

_I didn't throw up this time._

_The only thing that came out of my mouth was a scream. And then another. I screamed and screamed until my voice was hoarse and my throat was raw. I tasted tears and blood and dirt._

_Everything felt heavy._

* * *

Brass knuckles were actually super uncomfortable to wear. But I dealt with it.

The Glock 9mm hiding within the folds of my jacket was heavier than it looked. But I ignored it.

The handle of the switchblade in my pocket dug into my thigh. But I didn't bother moving it.

My memories were horrible. But I didn't know how to get rid of them.

* * *

_It was late afternoon. The setting sun spilled through the windows. Fletcher was laughing at his brother for doing something stupid and the Chimera Triplets were off sulking in a corner. All in all, a normal day._

_There was only a single shriek to warn us before the gunshots went off. We all looked at each other in panic before everyone started to move at once. _

_There was only one of us not present._

_I prayed for the first time in years. _

_I stopped bothering with hope as soon as I got outside._

_I fell to my knees in the growing pool of blood and stared in horror at the scene before me, fixating on the scrap of paper lying nearby._

_The only thing on it was a picture of a dragon eating itself._

* * *

_There was no funeral. No investigation. We couldn't risk calling the police. We took the bodies way out where no one could interrupt. The bodies were burned in memorial style, the remains buried under an old oak tree._

_Watching that little body crumble was the hardest thing I've ever done._

_At least she got to hold her dog in the end._

* * *

I shivered and pulled my jacket around me tighter.

I was standing in the rain in the middle of the night armed with weapons that I knew how to use and a failing will to not use them.

I wondered for the millionth time why it had to be this way. Why, out of everyone involved with the S.A., did it have to be _her?_

* * *

_"Why? I don't understand…" Fletcher sobbed._

_It was quiet a moment before Greed answered._

_"Some old associates of mine have crawled out of the woodwork. Apparently," Greed's eyes flashed to me, sharp and cutting, "the water hydrant fight was started by them. But that didn't go as planned, so they resorted to this."_

_"But…wouldn't it have made more sense to attack one of us? Why did it have to be..." the poor boy trailed off, too distraught to continue. _

_"_Why kill Alexander and Nina_?" _

_I started at the crime being laid out so starkly. Noa's face held no emotion, but her eyes were dark as her words._

_"They aren't aiming to cripple us. They're playing a psychological game. They want to get back at me, and they want it to hurt." Greed sneered._

_"But who are these people and why are they targeting you personally?"_

* * *

Why anyone would wish to take a life simply to strike out at a gang was beyond me, but…

But taking the lives of a little girl and her dog was just _wrong. _

Those dragon-people (Ouroboros, I knew now,) had gone too far.

Inside, I knew I had too much to loose to be involved in a gang war. I had things to protect.

But those bastards took Nina. Murdered an innocent little girl. I couldn't just let it be.

The best I could do was put everything important at an arm's length and wish for their safety.

Even if wishes were for the weak, it was all I had left.

All hope for myself had been scattered on the wind among the ashes.


	30. Message

I promised myself I wouldn't do this, but it's only fair to you. So, I'm putting this, and all my other stories on a hiatus for an undefined amount of time. I've totally lost my drive to write, and I don't wanna leave you guys in lurch. I hope I'll be able to update again someday. Thanks for sticking with me this long.

-Kimba


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